


4th and Long

by toughchoices



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, High School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-08-31 20:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 89,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8591863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toughchoices/pseuds/toughchoices
Summary: This is a high school AU where Tobin is a junior on the football team and Alex, a sophomore, plays soccer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is...I'll probably update this every few days since the chapters are pretty short relative to my last one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot happens in this but it sets some ground work

Alex hops off the bus and starts walking towards the football field with her teammates.  She can see the bright lights from the school and hear the cheering of the fans.  When she gets to the field, the stands are about half full, which isn’t unusual since it is only a scrimmage.  Alex walks up into the stands, looking for her best friend who had sprinted to the field as soon as the bus had pulled up in front of the school.  She spots Sydney in a semi-empty section with enough room for the rest of the team to sit with her.  

As she sits down next to Sydney, Alex looks at the scoreboard and sees that the fourth quarter just started and the Patriots are winning by six.  Sydney immediately grabs her hand in a vice-like grip.

“Jeeze, Syd loosen up a bit.  You’re going to break my hand,” Alex says, trying to pull her hand back. On the other side of Sydney, Kelley, one of their other best friends, is trying to do the same.  

Sydney ignores them, her eyes not leaving the field.  Alex is finally able to pull her hand free as the special teams come onto the field to return the kickoff.  Since the other team had just scored a touchdown and an extra point, the Patriots are now down by one point. The Raider’s kicker steps back, raises his arm for a second then runs forward, kicking the ball to the other end of the field.  Ryan Williams catches it and starts heading back up the field.  He makes it past the 50 but is brought down a few seconds later at the 30 yard line.  With just 40 seconds to go, the offense quickly comes on the field.  Alex avoids Sydney’s death grip of her hand and laughs as she instead reaches in front of her and grips Ashlyn’s shoulders.  The blonde flinches and tries to shake off Sydney’s hand.

The stadium is loud with the band and the crowd in the stands and the players and the coaches on the field.  Alex watches the quarterback, Matt Greenberg, get into position right before the ball is snapped.  He quickly tosses it behind him to Ryan who is running through an opening in the line of bodies.  He gains 8 yards but is quickly stopped.  Matt rushes to get the players back into position as the clock continues ticking down.  The next two times the ball is snapped he drops back for a pass.  The first time the ball is swatted before it can make it 5 yards.  The second time the ball is a little too high for, Dom, the wide receiver, to catch it.

As the field goal unit runs onto the field, Sydney releases her hands to clap, “Yeah, Dom.”  Alex’s eyes focus on #17, the kicker, as the team lines themselves up.  She sees the red and blue helmet bob once and the play starts.  Alex and most of the stands jump to their feet as the ball is kicked.  The ball arches high through the air then through the yellow posts.  Seconds after the ball is kicked the stands erupt.  The team is now up by two.  

There are two seconds left on the clock as #17 jogs to the other end of the field, setting up the ball for the last play.  The ball is kicked hard and long, making it far down the field.  Every player on the field for the Patriots is charging towards the ball as the other team starts to block.  The ball holder only moves 10 yards before being brought down.  The final whistle blows and the rest of the Patriots storm the field.  

Alex watches as #17, Tobin Heath, gets lifted into the air and takes off her helmet.  She sees the girl’s large smile as she raises her helmet high.  As the stands shake due to the cheering, Alex looks around at all of her friends and asks loud enough for them to hear, “Who’s going to the party?”

They give her a lot of thumbs up and head to the locker room to shower and change.  As they exit the stands, Alex hears a high pitched scream coming from the field.  She turns to find Tobin dripping wet with a huge grin on her face, and two players behind her holding an orange Gatorade water jug.

“They do know this was just a scrimmage, right?”  Kelley says loudly, next to her.  “As in a practice game that doesn’t matter?”

Alex shrugs, watching the tanned girl for another few seconds before jogging to catch up with her friends and teammates.

~~~

After showering, Alex walks out of the shower stall in her favorite pink bra and underwear with her hair wrapped in a towel. At her locker,  she grabs her jean shorts from her bag and starts to pull them on when she hears the door swing open.  She turns and sees Tobin walking into the locker room, losing her balance as her foot gets stuck and landing on the bench.  She tries to play it off as Tobin walks by towards her locker and quickly pulls up her shorts.  

“Nice one, Alex,” Ashlyn quips as she walks by in a sports bra with a towel wrapped around her waist.

“Shut up, Ash, or I’ll tell your grandma about your tattoo.”  

Ashlyn quickly pulls on her tank top, covering the inked words on her shoulders, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me,” Alex counters, cocking her head.

Ashlyn shakes her head and throws her towel at Alex, who grabs it out of the air and tosses the towel into the hamper as she heads over to Kelley’s locker.  She sits down on the bench and looks past Kelley at Tobin as the older girl takes her pads off.  “Hey, Kel, can you give me a ride to the party?”

“Yeah, sure, Al.” Kelley says as she puts on her eye liner.  Alex stares at Tobin’s back as she heads towards the showers.

“Do you ever talk to her?”

“Huh?” Kelley says, still poking at her eye.

“Tobin?”

“No, not really.  There’s kinda a lot of trees between our houses in case you forgot and she doesn’t really have any reason to come over.”

“I remember.  I just like don’t understand her.  Why didn’t she come out for soccer?  She hadn’t played football before but she played soccer.  Why switch?”

Kelley looks over at her with her eyebrow raised, “And you know this how?”

Alex looks down, “I, uh, maybe read it somewhere.”  She looks back up with more confidence. “I was curious about her and looked her up.  She got interviewed her freshman year.”  

Alex pulls out her phone to check her Facebook and Twitter. Once she hears the last of the showers turn off, she stands.  “Hurry up, Kel.  I want to go.”  Alex starts walking towards the door.

“Hey, Alex?” Kelley says, stopping her.  Alex turns around.  “You might want to put a shirt on.”  She looks down noticing that she still is in her bra.  

Alex turns back towards Kelley and notices Tobin walking to her locker a few away from Kelley’s.  “Why should I? This is my favorite bra, gotta show it off.”  Alex turns and catches Tobin looking at her, then at her bra for a split second, before quickly averting her eyes to her locker.  Alex smirks and pulls on her loose tank top.  She walks back over to Kelley right as she is closing her locker.  

“Ready?” Kelley asks as she shoulders her bag

“Yep,”  Alex says, glancing at Tobin out of the corner of her eye as they head for the door.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this far :) Let me know what you think of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive feeback. Here's the party

Tobin walks out of the building with Jason, both freshly showered.  

“See you at the party?” he asks.

“Yup,” Tobin replies, as they head towards their cars.  She twirls her keys around her finger as she approaches, smiling when she sees paint on her windows.  As she gets closer, she can make out  _ 17 _ and  _ Game Winner _ on the back window in the schools colors, red, white, and blue. Next, she sees the saran wrapped brownie sitting on top of her side view mirror.  She tosses her bag in the back row, grabbing the brownie and hopping into the driver’s seat.  

She fishes her phone out of her pocket, sending a quick text.

**Tobin: Thanks for the brownie and car paint**

She pulls out of the parking lot as she unwraps the brownie and starts eating it.  A few minutes later, she parks at the end of the long driveway where the party is being hosted.  It’s the last party before school starts in two days, and she will be starting her junior year.  She’s not the biggest fan of parties, but she loves hanging out with her friends and watching them make complete fools of themselves.  She checks her phone before heading in.

**Tori: No prob.  It’s my job.  Thanks for kicking the winning field goal ☺**

Tobin walks into the party through the open garage and is immediately accosted with loud music and the smell of alcohol. Not soon after, she is surrounded by her teammates.  Matt stands up on the couch and cups his hands around his mouth.  Tobin can tell by the way he’s swaying that he is already a few drinks in.  “Ladies and gents,” he shouts, “the queen has arrived.”  Tobin feels someone wrap their arms around her lower back and pick her up from behind so that everyone can see her. Tobin laughs as she tries to hit the person holding her so they’ll let her down.

“The queen requests that she be put down,” Tobin shouts over the music while still squirming.  She is quickly set down, and Tobin sees the person connected to the arms.  She holds up a fist for him to pound, “Hey, Dom.”  He quickly knocks their knuckles together, smiling.  “I’m surprised you’re not with Syd dancing it up or ya know, locked behind a closed door.”

Dom laughs, shoving her gently, “She’s hanging out with her team somewhere.  Come on let’s go get a drink.”  They head to the kitchen together.  Tobin goes to the sink and fills a red cup with water while Dom grabs a can of beer from the fridge.  They head out back where it’s a little quieter and sit down by the pool, watching people jump in.

“You had some amazing runs today man.  We’re going to kill it this season,” Tobin compliments.

“Yeah, we are.”  They slap hands as they continue to talk about the game and the upcoming season.

There’s a loud scream as the host for the party pushes a cheerleader into the pool.  She comes up shouting, “Jack, I’m going to kill you.”

Tobin and Dom laugh as he helps her out only for her to push him in.  Dom looks over at Tobin.  “Hey, Tobs?”

Tobin looks back at him, “Yes, Dom?”

“I don’t want you to get mad at me.  I love you and am here for you.”

“Don’t let Syd hear you say that, or she’ll kill me,” Tobin jokes before turning serious.  “I love you too, bro.  What’s up?”

Dom looks around, making sure they won’t be overheard.  “Were you ever going to tell me you’re gay?” he asks quietly.

Her jaw drops, “Wh-what?”

“It’s not like it will change anything.  You could be into balloon animals for all I care,” he says, referencing a My Strange Addiction episode they had recently watched.  “I just want you to be you, at least with me.  I am your best friend and all.”

Tobin looked down at her hands, intertwining her fingers.  “Is it that obvious?”

“Kinda,” Dom laughs, “but we talked about it and we’re cool with it.  We won’t say anything until you do.  We have your back just like you have ours.”

“Woah, you guys talked about it as a team?” Tobin stands up, upset. “Is this what goes on in the locker room?  You guys talk about my sexuality?”

“Wait, it’s not like that,” Dom says while standing up. “It wasn’t the whole team. Just... it was after a game during spring ball where some of the other team was talking smack, worse than normal.  Calling you names and such and we all kinda just said that we wouldn’t let anyone do that to you, no matter what.”  Dom steps closer, hugging her quickly.  “We have your back, Tobs.”

Tobin nods her head, “Thanks,” she sighs, somewhat relieved.  She sits back down and drains the rest of her cup closing her eyes for a bit.

~~~

Alex walks outside with Sydney and Kelley.  Kelley fans herself with her hand, “Oh my god, it’s _ soooo  _ hot in there.  Too many people.”  They join Ashlyn, Christen, and Ali who are standing near the pool stairs.

Her teammates laugh at her.  “I can throw you in the pool if you want,” Ashlyn offers.

“You will do no such thing, Ashlyn Harris.”  Kelley holds her finger out at Ashlyn, daring her.  Ashlyn smirks and pretends to take steps closer and reaches out for her.  Everyone laughs at the two as Kelley takes a step behind Ali and Sydney to protect herself.  Alex looks around the backyard after hearing a scream.  Her eyes gloss over the girl in the pool and land on Tobin and Dom, lounging in some chairs on the other side of the pool, talking.  

After a minute of staring Alex turns to Sydney.  “Syd, do you talk to Tobin ever?”  Sydney looks at Alex confused then sees her looking over her shoulder.  She turns around and sees her boyfriend talking to Tobin.

“Not much.  She’s kind of private, but her and Dom are really close and he says she opens up more when you get to know her.”  They watch Tobin stand up, angry, followed closely by Dom.  “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, just wondering.”

“Well, she doesn’t say much.  They normally are just playing video games if I ever go over and she’s there.  But then she usually leaves.”  They see Dom pull Tobin into a quick hug before they both sit back down again, Tobin’s face relaxed.  “She was always talking at lunch though, had all of the guys laughing.  At least that’s what it looked like last year.  Or during practice over the summer. I don’t know, maybe she just fits in better with the boys.”

Alex nods as she turns back to her friends and takes a sip of her strong drink, grimacing as it goes down.  Kelley eyes Alex, wondering what her sudden fascination is with Tobin.

~~~

“Hey, Tobin?”  Dom asks after a few minutes of silence between the two.

“Dom. I can only handle one big thing a night, and I think coming out was that thing.”

Dom laughs, “I was going to ask if you want to go swimming, but I forgot that lesbians don’t float so nevermind.”

“Oh, you think you got jokes?” Tobin stands pulling her phone out of her pocket while kicking off her shoes.  She tosses her phone on the chair, followed shortly by her hat and flannel.  Dom stands too and Tobin looks down about to take off her socks when she notices his phone, keys and wallet on the table.  She smiles taking a small step back as Dom struggles with his laces.  She rushes towards him, catching him off guard, her arms wrap around his waist in a tackle, and she drives him into the pool.  They both come up for air, laughing.

“Dude,” he gets out.  “You could have at least let me take off my shoes.”  

“They smelled pretty ripe, needed a good cleaning,” Tobin replies, with a huge smirk.  Dom lunges, dunking her.  She reaches her arms out and starts tickling his sides.  He quickly backs away and shoves her arms off, letting her come up for air.  Dom climbs out, sitting on the edge as he pulls his wet shoes and socks off.  Tobin swims over to the edge pulling off her tank top and tossing it towards the chair with the rest of her stuff.  It makes a loud splat as it hits the ground next to her shoes.  She looks around her and sees the entire soccer team staring.  “Hey, D, I think your girlfriend wants you.”  Dom looks over smiling and waves his arm to get her to come over.  

Sydney walks over and leans down to him, kissing his lips quickly.  “Do you guys to swim with us, babe?” Dom asks.  

Sydney shakes her head. “I didn’t bring a suit and I just put my makeup on.”  

“You’d look good no matter what, and Tobin’s not wearing a suit,” Dom replies, gesturing to Tobin.  

Sydney looks to Tobin, smiling.  “She’s wearing a sports bra and shorts.  I’m in a skirt and _ your _ favorite bra, Dom.  Do you really think I want to be swimming right now?” 

Tobin chuckles at Sydney’s forwardness and Dom’s haste to get up.  “I’ll see you Monday, Tobs.”  

Tobin pulls herself out of the pool as Dom gathers his stuff.  She sits on the edge and pulls her hair out of it’s loose bun.  “Have fun you two.  Be safe. Use protection.”  

Dom smiles at her before pushing her back in.  “Thanks, Toby,” he calls back to her when she resurfaces.  

Tobin watches them walk around the side of the house, hand in hand and out of sight.  She climbs out again, heading over to the chair holding her stuff.  She sits down and rings out her hair, putting it back into a ponytail to get it out of her face.  

As she is ringing out her tank top, she feels eyes on her.  She looks around for a second before finding the watchful eyes coming from the group of soccer players, more specifically the blue eyed girl that Tobin has often seen hanging out with Sydney.  Tobin nods in her direction before picking up the rest of her stuff.  She walks towards her car, which takes her right past the group of soccer players.  She can feel eyes on her as she walks by them, in just a sports bra and shorts, but she ignores it.

Tobin tosses the clothes in the back of her Jeep before pulling her shorts off.  It’s dark and she’s not really self-conscious so she doesn’t mind being in only her underwear.  She rifles through her gym bag and grabs a pair of dry shorts, pulling them on.  She hops in the front seat and drives home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming soon: them actually talking  
> Edit: Also I would like to thank my lovely editor who in no way asked me to thank her for all she does for me (Thanks babe :D)


	3. Chapter 3

Tobin pulls her Jeep into school Monday morning for the first day of school.  She parks in the junior lot next to Dom’s black Mustang.  She sees him making out with Sydney, both oblivious to their surroundings, and decides to have a little fun.  She slowly gets out and walks around her car before loudly knocking on his window.  They jump apart as Tobin bursts out laughing.  Sydney groans as Dom rolls down his window.  “Really, Tobs, I wouldn’t do that if I saw you making out with someone,” Dom says, careful to not add a gender.

Tobin beams at him, “You say that now.”  Tobin opens up her passenger door and grabs her backpack. She walks to the back of her car and waits for Dom to grab his stuff, and the three of them walk into school together.  Sydney gives Dom a quick kiss before heading to her first class.  Dom and Tobin have a similar schedule thanks to Dom’s ability to sweet talk their guidance counselor.  They sit down in the back of their math class turning towards each other.

"So Tobs, now that we're on the same page, can I ask you something?" Tobin nods so he continues, "Have you ever been with someone?  I don't really know where you would meet someone. It's not like we have a lot of out people. But I don’t know, you might have some superpower that just shows you who is or something or do you go to places to meet them."  He says the last bit quietly so only she will hear him.

"Not really.  Anyone I've been remotely interested in is straight, and even then it's more just physical.”  Tobin blushes, “I don't really know how to talk to girls."

Dom smiles big.  "And that's why we’re best friends.  I can teach you everything.  So who do you think is hot?  What’s your type?" 

"No. No. No. I don't think so."

"Relax, Tobs.  I'm just going to help you get comfortable.  You just need to talk to them.  It doesn’t matter about what.  Just talk, and if there is a connection, the talking will flow.  And maybe if I can find you someone hot, then we can try getting you laid."  Dom smirks as Tobin's jaw drops. 

"I'm done talking to you." Tobin turns toward the front of the room and luckily the bell rings, starting the first day of classes.

~~~

Dom walks into lunch with Tobin, having just gotten out of Advanced Woodworking. "Ugh, I don't know how many more times I can watch someone ‘get their thumbs cut off'" Tobin groans, adding the air quotes.

"You slept through that video, what are you talking about?" Dom questions.

"My eyes might have been closed, but I've seen that video so many times I know exactly what is going on, on screen."

"Whatever you say.  Go save me a seat. I'll be over in a bit."

"Okay, lover boy."  Tobin heads to the table where some of their teammates are already seated.

Dom walks up behind Sydney, leaning down and planting a kiss on her cheek.  "Hey, baby."  Sydney smiles at him scooting over.

"Are you ditching your idiot friends for me?" she asks hopeful.

"Umm, not today. But I do have a favor for you and your lovely friends involving my very wonderful and not idiotic friend," Dom says sweetly, looking around the table.

The soccer players at the table all look at him, "Why do I feel like I'm not going to like this?" Sydney asks.

"It's nothing major.  It basically involves a trip to the mall or anything you guys want to do."

"Okay...I'm confused yet intrigued. Go on," Kelley says from next to Sydney. 

"I was wondering if the next time you are all hanging out you could maybe invite Tobin?" Dom asks, rubbing the back of Sydney's hand with his thumb.

"Um what?" Meghan asks.

"She doesn't have a lot of friends that are girls, and also she's my best friend.  So, it would be nice if you two could bond,” he answers, staring at Sydney.

"Did you ever think that the reason she doesn't have a lot of female friends is because she doesn't want any?" Meghan asks.

Dom shakes his head "It’s not that, she’s just kinda shy in front of people she’s not comfortable with.  You guys are all into sports so that at least gives you something to bond over.  Just one time. Please, baby, for me." He sticks out his bottom lip at Sydney.

She leans in, kissing it.  "Only because I love you, but don't get your hopes too high."

"Thanks, babe." Dom grabs her face, kissing her harder. "Thanks guys," he says to the rest of the table as he stands up and walks to the other side of the cafeteria.

"Ugh," Sydney groans after watching him walk away, "what should we do with her?"

"Who said we were helping?  Dom didn't kiss us into submission," Christen smirks.

"Please we can do anything.  Don't leave me alone with her. It would be super awkward if it’s just the two of us. I won't know what to talk about," Sydney begs.

Alex smiles. "Wow, Syd, you at a loss for words. This I’ll need to see. I'm in," Alex says.

"I guess I'll come, too," Kelley says before asking, "Alex, what has you interested in her all of a sudden?" 

"Nothing.  She just seems kinda interesting," Alex states.  The rest of the group agrees to go as well for one reason or another.  "What should we do?"

"Well we were going to go bowling tonight after practice. Why not just get it over with and have her come?" Kelley asks.

"Sounds good to me. Everyone else cool with that?" Sydney asks.  Everyone shrugs and nods their heads. Sydney stands up, pulling Alex with her, “Let’s go ask her."

"What? Why am I coming?"

"Because you love me and are my best friend.  Best friends stick together,” Sydney argues.

"Ugh fine.  Let's go." Alex steps around her chair and follows Sydney. They walk up to the table filled with football players.

Sydney slides into Dom's lap and Alex grabs a chair from another table, squeezing in between Dom and another player, across from Tobin.

The table dies down immediately, everyone staring at the two soccer players.  "Well hello, ladies.  To what do we owe this pleasure?" Jason asks from the other side of the table.

"We're not here for you, idiots," Sydney says, turning to Tobin who is the only one not paying them any attention.  "Tobin, me, Alex, and some of the gals are going bowling tonight and wanted to know if you wanted to join us?"  She points to Alex then motions back towards her table.

Tobin looks up from her phone when she hears her name, not expecting to be part of the conversation.  Alex gives her a small smile while she swallows her food and looks to Dom.  "Dude, seriously? I told you no."

Sydney looks over at Alex, one eyebrow raised, as Dom replies, "I just want my girlfriend and my best friend to get along.  Why is that so bad?"

Tobin glares at him. "Bullshit,” her face softens slightly, “but fine."  She turns back to Sydney, "After practice?" Sydney nods still a bit confused.  "Okay. I'll see you then." She turns back to her phone.  Dom mouths a ‘thank you’ to Sydney while she questions him with a glare.

"I'll see you after school, before practice, right?" Dom asks her.

"Yeah, but not for too long.  Come on, Alex." She rises from Dom's lap, waiting for Alex to follow.

"See you tonight, Tobin," Alex adds before they both turn to leave.  Tobin looks up, nodding in response while she chews another mouth full of food.

Once they're gone Tobin kicks Dom under the table.  "At least warn me next time."

He reaches down to rub his shin.  "One, I didn't know they were going to ask you this fast. And two, if I told you, you would’ve found a way out of it."

"Exactly," she complains before turning to Jason next to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving!!! and to all the non American readers happy Thursday, the weeks almost over. Yay!!!

Tobin slowly trudges from the practice field to the school, hoping if she walks slow enough they will have forgotten about her and will all be gone by the time she gets into the locker room.  Unfortunately for her, Dom pushes her from behind. "Come on, Tobs. Hurry up."

"I'm a kicker. If I break my ankle running to the locker room, my illustrious career is over."

"Holy fuck.  You're right.  You shouldn’t even be walking." He leans down and throws her over his shoulder.

"Dom, put me down," she complains continuously, hitting at his back.  He ignores her and carries her the rest of the way up to school.  

Once he enters, he kicks open the girls’ locker room door.  "INCOMING." He drops her on her butt, causing a loud noise as the helmet in her hand hits the stone wall.  He walks away and the door slams shut behind him.  Tobin gets up with a groan, rubbing her back as she rounds the corner and finds the entire soccer team starting at her in various states of dress.

"Uh, sorry," Tobin mumbles.  She walks to her locker and takes off of her pads before walking to the showers in her sports bra and shorts with a towel over her shoulder.  Sydney sits down next to Kelley and Alex.

"This is going to be so awkward,” she says, looking to where Tobin had just disappeared.

"Just give her a chance," Alex says while she finishes pulling on her flats and then goes to grab her backpack.  "Hey, Syd, are you going to ride with her?"

"Not by myself.  Why do you want to?"

"No," Alex replies.  "We'll just have her meet us there.  I don't think she really wants to be trapped in a car with us anyways." The other two nod in agreement as they see her walk towards her locker. 

Tobin notices them watching her.  "Sorry, just give me a few." They turn back, talking about their first day of classes.  They all look up when they hear her locker close.

"Ready?" Sydney asks.  Tobin nods, throwing her bag over her shoulder.  They all head out the door and to the parking lot.

"How competitive is this going to be?" Tobin wonders out loud.

Kelley laughs, "Well with baby horse, very.  To the rest of us it's just a way of hanging out."

"Baby horse?" Tobin questions.

"Me," Alex says.  "They think I run like a horse, and I was the youngest on varsity last year."

"You do run like a horse," calls a voice from behind them.  They turn and see Ali coming up behind them.  She sticks out her hand to Tobin with a large smile, "Hi, I'm Ali."

Tobin grabs it awkwardly, smiling back.  "Tobin."

"I know.  I'm pretty sure everyone knows who you are." Tobin blushes, pulling at the straps of her backpack.  "Anyone need a ride?" Ali asks looking around.  Everyone shakes their head.  "Okay. See y'all in 10." She heads over to her car in the senior lot while the rest head towards the junior lot. 

Sydney and Alex walk towards Kelley’s car, a few rows away from Tobin’s.

“We’ll see you there,” Sydney calls back.  Tobin throws a thumbs up sign as she tosses her bag in the trunk before getting in. She starts her car and rolls the window down and looks through her phone for some music.  

Sydney hops in the front seat of Kelley’s car and looks towards Tobin’s.  “Why isn’t she moving?”

“She probably doesn’t want to get there before us,” Alex offers while Kelley shrugs and starts the car.  They hear music coming from across the empty lot until Kelley shuts her door.  “Or maybe she was just getting her music set up,” Alex corrects as they watch the car pull out.  

Sydney looks down at her phone when she feels it vibrate in her hand.

**Dom <3: Be nice please**

**Sydney: I’m always nice and I’m doing you a favor.**

**Dom <3: Thank you baby**

She puts her phone away as Kelley starts talking about how she found a turtle in the middle of the road the day before.  By the time she ends her story, they are at the bowling alley, and both Sydney and Alex are cracking up.  They see Tobin hop out of her Jeep a few spots away, looking down at her phone.

**Tobs: I still can’t believe you talked them into doing this**

**DD: I have no idea what you’re talking about**

In the dark parking lot, Tobin pulls off her snap back and shakes out her hair before putting it back on.  She notices the other three climbing out of Kelley’s car so she waits for them near the door and holds it open when they reach her.  Tobin follows them in and looks around.  She sees a large group of girls from their school taking up a few lanes near the far end.  They quickly pay and grab their shoes before heading over.  Tobin sits down at a table and puts her shoes on.  She stays seated until Sydney calls her over.  “You can play with me, Alex, and Kelley since we got here last.  Also it’s better to be on Alex’s team then not. Safer that way,” Sydney says while glaring at Alex.

“It was one time and an accident.  I didn’t know you were behind me.”

“Who the hell needs to swing a club that hard and that high in mini golf?”

“I wanted to hit it over the wall instead of going all the way around that stupid loop.  It would cut down on the number of strokes.”

“It was mini golf.”

Alex shakes her head and starts to enter the names into the board. “Tobin when’s your birthday?”

“Um May?? Why?”

Alex starts to enter in Tobin’s name.  “Just we go by age and that makes you the oldest.”  She enters the rest of the names in and sits down.  “You’re first.” 

Tobin stands up and feels a few balls until she finds one that’s a good weight and size for her fingers.  She steps in front of the lane. ‘ _ Just hit the pins.  You know how to bowl.  Don’t fuck it up. _ ’  Tobin takes a step and lets the ball go.  She turns around, heading back to pick up another ball before the ball is even halfway down the lane.  She feels the other balls looking for a similar one when Kelley walks up to her.

“Um it’s my turn.”

Tobin looks up at her confused, “Huh.  No. I get to go again.”

Sydney and Alex can’t help but laugh from their seats.  Tobin looks over at them confused, her cheeks starting to heat up.  “You got a strike, so your turn is over,” Alex explains.

Tobin looks up at the screen, “I what?”  She sees the little x next to her name. “Oh, sorry.”  She steps around Kelley and heads back to her seat.  

Alex leans over towards her, a soft smile on her face, “It helps sometimes if you watch the ball actually go all the way down the lane.  That’s just me though.”

Tobin sheepishly smiles and nods her head, “I’ll try that next time.”  The game is going pretty well.  Everyone’s laughing at Sydney’s bowling style, which changes each frame.  Tobin stays pretty quiet but with some prodding, slides in a few jokes here and there, mostly at Dom’s expense. By the end of the game Tobin beats Alex by 16 points but they lose collectively to a group of seniors a few lanes over.  Tobin leans down and starts to untie her shoes.

Alex walks over to her, “You’re pretty good.”

Tobin looks up, shrugging, “So are you.”

Alex smiles, “I’m okay.  So uh we kinda have a team rule that as winner you have to buy us pizza” she says, motioning to Kelley and Sydney who are talking with a few other players.

Tobin looks around, “Oh, uh, okay. Sure… I guess.” She reaches into her pocket to get her wallet out.

Heather looks up from her seat at a table behind them, “Alex be nice,” then to Tobin she says, “Alex is just a sore loser.  Ignore her.”

Tobin looks back to Alex who shrugs so she pulls her hand back out of her pocket and finishes untying her shoes.

**Sydney: We bowled a game.  Happy?**

**Dom <3: How was it?**

**Sydney: She’s quiet but she beat Alex.  I don’t think she was even trying.**

**Dom <3: Didn’t I tell you she is a great bowler.  I use her to hustle people all the time**

**Sydney: You do no such thing**

**Dom <3: She was on the bowling team last year.  The twins convinced her**

**Sydney: Thanks for the heads up**

**Dom <3: You never asked**

**Sydney: Okay were leaving soon**

After returning her shoes, Tobin comes back and looks around at the team as they mingle trying to find an appropriate way to leave. Alex notices her and waves her over.  “Tobin this is Abby, Hope, Christie, and Carli. Guys, this is Tobin.” Tobin waves awkwardly and gives a half smile as they all say hi.

“I was just gonna head out if that’s cool?” Tobin asks sheepishly.

“Oh yeah, sure.  HEY SYD, Tobin’s leaving.” Tobin cringes as Alex calls out across four lanes causing most people to turn and stare.

Sydney looks up from her conversation and starts to walk over, stopping in front of them.  “Well uh,… thanks for coming.  Thanks for putting Alex in her place.” Alex scoffs and rolls her eyes.

Tobin smiles and nods.  “I had fun.  Thanks for inviting me.  I’ll tell Dom you did everything he asked and more.  And really if he asks again, you don’t have to say yes.  I won’t be offended.”

“Okay?  Well uh thanks. Again.  See you in school,” Sydney responds awkwardly, as Tobin nods and turns around, heading out the door.  Once she has left Sydney turns to the others, “Well that was sufficiently awkward.”

“What did Dom ask?” Abby questions.

“He wanted me to invite her to hang with us because she doesn’t have many friends that are girls and he wanted us to bond.”

“So?  Why does the gender of your friends matter?  As long as they’re a good friend, what’s down there shouldn’t be of any relevance to anyone.”

Hope laughs, smacking Abby on the back, “Way to put it there, Abs.  So eloquent.”

Abby grins, “What can I say?  I am a master of words.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that considering most of the words that come out of your mouth are some derivative of the word fuck,” Christie chuckles.

“Whatever.  I’m heading out.  See you guys tomorrow,” she grumbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to post another one later today. The next one actually has a kind of cute moment of interaction between the two so maybe that will be the one bright spot of the day when interacting with all the Trump supporting Republicans that you are somehow related to. Enjoy your turkey or mashed potatoes or microwave meal (w.e. floats your boat)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part 2 for today. Hope today is going okay for everyone

The two minute warning bell rings right as Tobin walks into class. She drops her head on her desk as soon as she sits down, her eyes closing.  Dom looks up from his phone to see his friend already asleep.  He quickly snaps a picture and sends it to Sydney.

**Dom <3: How could you not want to be friends with this?**

It takes only a few moments before he sees her typing a response.

**Sydney:  It’s pretty easy when she doesn’t want to be friends back**

**Dom <3: What makes you say that?**

**Dom <3: She said it was fun**

**Dom <3: Well awkward but also kinda fun**

**Sydney: She basically told me to say no if you ever ask me to talk to her again**

**Dom <3: She only said that because she knows I begged you to**

**Dom <3: She doesn’t want you to feel pressured for her sake**

**Sydney: She told you this?**

**Dom <3: No.  She’s just a nice person and I know her well enough.  I’m trying to help her out**

The bell rings so Dom drops his hands under the desk.

**Sydney: It’s not like she doesn’t have friends.  Also I see her talking to the cheerleaders sometimes.  Those are girls**

**Dom <3: She’s giving them her cookie order or something.  That doesn’t really count**

**Dom <3: And I’m trying to help her on interacting with girls so female is kinda necessary**

**Sydney: Why?**

**Dom <3: Just because**

**Sydney: It doesn’t seem like she’s super into it so why are you**

**Sydney: Why girls**

**Dom <3: Just cause**

**Sydney: Dom???**

**Sydney: WAIT. Are you setting her up?!?!?**

‘ _ Shit _ ’  Dom puts his phone away and looks over at Tobin who is still asleep.  He throws a pencil at her hitting her in the cheek with the eraser. She sits up quickly, making her book fall to the ground.  Everyone in the room turns around to stare at her.  She reacts quickly, picking the book back up and mumbling out a sorry before turning to glare at Dom who is trying not to laugh.

~~~

Throughout the day, Tobin notices that there are a few girls in her classes that were bowling yesterday but nothing more than a smile is exchanged.  She walks into lunch behind Dom with her thumbs tucked into her palms.  “It’s a good thing I don’t need my thumbs to kick the ball or I would be soooo screwed.  Stupid woodshop always taking my thumbs.”

“Good lord if I have to hear about your thumbs being cut off every day after that class I will  _ personally  _ cut off your thumbs.”

“You’d have to catch me first, slick,” she says, rubbing his head then running off, putting a table of freshmen between them.  

Alex looks up as Tobin runs by with Dom behind her.  “Okay, so like, that is for sure not the person we went bowling with yesterday.  Look she has a constant smile on her face when she’s with Dom or the football guys.”

Everyone turns to look as the two run in circles around the confused freshmen.  “Maybe she likes, Dom,” Lauren offers.

“Doubt it,” Sydney replies.  “For one they have been friends since their freshman year and nothing has happened between them.”

After a brief silence Kelley elbows Sydney, “You said one, what are the other reasons?”

Sydney looks at Dom and Tobin as they are walking to their table, laughing at something. “Uh nothing...just wanted to keep you on your toes.  Good job, Kel.”  She stands up.  “I’ll be right back.”   She walks over to Dom and grabs his arm before he can sit down, sternly asking  “Can we talk?”  A chorus of ‘oooohhs’ come from the table.  “Shut up,”  Sydney commands as she turns and walks slightly away with Dom following.

“What’s up, babe?” he nervously smiles, knowing what is coming.

“You never responded to my text.”

“Oh, sorry,” ‘ _ Shit. Mayday, Mayday. _ ’ “Class started and I almost got caught and then I just forgot.”

“Well can you answer me now?”

“Uh, I don’t know, babe.”

“Dom, I can only help you if I know what you’re trying to do.”

“It’s really not my place.”

“So it’s true.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Tobin likes,” Sydney whispers while waving her hands around sporadically, “ya know.”

“I never said that.”

“But you’re not saying it pretty loud.”

“Babe, please.  I’m the only one that knows.  Well the other guys are pretty certain, but I’m the only one she’s talked to about it.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“Keeping quiet isn’t always your strong suit.”

“How did I not see that before?” Sydney looks over at Tobin, “It’s so obvious.”

“She’s good at hiding what she wants to stay hidden also it’s not like a thing people assume around here.”

“Wait,” Sydney says, refocusing on Dom. “Were you trying to hook her up with someone on my team?  Is that what that was?”

“No.  She just doesn’t know how to talk to girls.”

“Well maybe throwing her into a mosh of 30 girls at once wasn’t your best idea babe.”

“Hey, I thought it was going to be like you, Alex, and Kelley.  A small, intimate gathering.”

“Well next time you need help with something give me all of the details, and we can get a better attack plan okay?”

Dom nods, “Please just don’t tell anyone.”

“Of course not.  I’ll see you later.”  She kisses him on the cheek and walks back to her table.

~~~

“I’m so glad today was a no pads day.  I think I would have died of heat exhaustion,” Jason groans as they head to the locker rooms.  There’s a chorus of grunts and they walk into the hot gym.  The boys turning right while Tobin goes left.

“Later, fellas.”  She’s almost at the locker room when she hears her name.

“Hey, Tobin?” Jason calls out, kind of shyly.

“Yeah, Jas.”  Tobin turns around and faces her big teammate.

“Is the girls’ locker room nicer?  Like does it smell better?”

“Does it smell better than you? Hmm...let me think...fuck yes. But otherwise you guys have it way better.  Yours has been renovated sometime before the 1950s.  We also just have the plain lockers.  I have to put my pads and helmet in a supply closet.”

“Wait, you don’t have a seated locker,” Matt asks, walking back towards Tobin from where he had stopped just outside of the boys’ locker room door.  “That’s not okay.  Every starter is supposed to have one.  Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Um because I don’t really care and it’s not like you could fix anything.”

“We’ll see about that,” he replies mischievously.

“Oh great,” she groans.  “Please just don’t get me in trouble with whatever you try.”

Tobin turns and starts pulling off her sweaty shirt as she walks across the gym and into her locker room.  She tosses it towards her locker, sits down, and takes off her shoes and socks.  She puts everything in her gym bag and is just grabbing her towel when she hears a loud bang on the door causing everyone in the room to stop what they were doing.

“Ladies, please put some clothes on me and a few guys need to come in.” Tobin could tell the voice was Matt’s.

“Oh hell no,” she calls out.  “Green, I seriously don’t care about it.  You are  _ not _ coming in here.”

“Yes we are Tobs.  Ladies, we are coming in.  This is your second warning to be decent. You have one minute.”  Tobin groans, walking to the door.  Alex looks on amused as Tobin rounds the corner to the door.  She can hear Tobin bickering with the male voice.

“Okay, time’s up.  We’re coming in.”

“Matt I said no.  What are you do-  Put me down!”  Matt comes around the corner with one hand covering his eyes while he looks down at his feet and the other holding Tobin over his shoulder.

“Everyone decent?”  A few yeses are called out so he drops his hand, looking around before calling back,  “Okay fellas bring it in.”

Everyone watches as Dom, Jason, and Connor pull in a huge locker set.  “Where do you want it Tobin?”

“Back wherever you stole it from.”

“It’s yours.  We weren’t using it,” Jason replies.

“Then why is there someone’s things in the it?” Tobin counters.

He smiles and waves it off.  “Oh it was just some soccer dude.  No one cares about soccer.”

This is met with a chorus of boos and taunts.  “Watch it there, Adeso,” Hope warns, pointing a finger.  He moves slightly away from her, hands up in the air.

“Hey, Greeny.”

“Yeah, Tobs?”

“PUT ME DOWN.”  He sets her down then looks around the room again.

“I think the queen’s throne should go right along that wall.  Front and center.” He points to a blank piece of wall between two closet doors.  The wall is blank now but during the season, the wall is where the soccer team puts up little soccer ball cut outs for each goal they score.

Before any of the soccer players can protest, Tobin jumps in.  “That wall is off limits.”

“What? Why? It’s blank.”

“It’s. Off. Limits,” Tobin lays out, adding a little force.

“Alright, alright.  Where do you want it then?”

“Any way if I say in your locker room, it will go back there?” she asks hopeful.  All four boys shake their heads.  She runs her hands over the top of her head and groans, looking around.  “Okay, fine just put it in the corner over there,” she points, “and take the dude’s stuff out of it.”  They all bow and do as their told.  

“Where’s your stuff?” Dom asks.  Tobin points to the closet where her pads and helmet are and then to her open locker where the rest of her stuff lays. Matt and Connor head to her locker while Dom heads to the closet.

Jason looks around the room, and Tobin walks up to him, still in just a sports bra and shorts.  “What do you think, Jas? Was it everything you imagined?”

“I expected it to be more…I don’t know,” he gets red.  Tobin watches the other three place her stuff in her new locker and grab the old owners belongings before leaving.

“Well it’s only ever like that in the pornos buddy.”  Everyone around them laughs as Jason gets even redder.  “Now go shower.  You’re stinking up the place.”  She slaps his butt and he turns towards the door.

Tobin waits until the door loudly shuts behind Jason before heading over to her new locker. She touches the wooden frame gently and can’t help the smile that grows wide over her face.  Her fingers run over the two numbers, her two numbers, written in sharpie on white athletic tape at the top.

Alex walks over to her slowly, “They really care about you.”  Tobin whips around, not knowing that most of the room was still watching her.

“Uh yeah… of course.  Don’t you care about your team?” Tobin responds defensively.

“Well yeah,” Alex replies as she takes a small step back, confused at the aggressive tone.

“So why is it any different for me?” Tobin’s voice still harsh, “Cause it’s football and I’m not a guy?”

“No.  I wasn’t trying to start something.  I thought it was nice.” Alex says, taking another step back with her hands slightly raised.

Tobin’s shoulders slump.  “Sorry.  I’m just used to being defensive about football stuff,” she apologizes.

“It’s okay,” she smiles.  “Is that what all of the guys have?” Alex asks motioning to the locker.

“Just the starters,” Tobin responds as she picks up her towel.

“Weren’t you a starter like your freshman year?” Tobin nods.  “So then shouldn’t you have gotten one a while ago?”

“Technically, yeah, but they only have them in the boys’ locker room…obviously,” Tobin says using her arm to gesture to the rest of the girls’ locker room, seeing a  few players still watching them as they finish get ready.

“So what changed?” Alex asks, oblivious to her teammates’ eyes.

“They didn’t know,” Tobin responds, playing with a loose string on her towel.

“When did they find out?”

“Right before I walked in.”  Alex laughs causing Tobin to look up at her getting slightly defensive again.  “What?”

“They literally just ripped out a locker and carried it over here for you.  I don’t think I would do that for them.”  Throwing a thumb over her shoulder at her teammates.

“Wow, Alex, thanks for showing us the love,” Megan says from a few lockers away.

Kelley walks over to them, pulling her car keys out of her bag.  “You ready to go Alex or is me giving you a ride home too much for you?”

Alex turns and slaps at Kelley, “I hate all of you,” she calls out to the team, “I can’t say one thing without all of you ganging up on me.”  She turns back to Tobin with a smile, “See you tomorrow I guess.”  She goes and grabs her bag from her locker, which is now visible from Tobin’s. She stops and turns around watching Tobin take off her shorts before saying, “Oh and Tobin?” Alex waits until she gets the other girl’s attention before continuing, “Thanks for not letting them put it in front of our goal wall.”

Tobin smiles, her eyes darting to the blank wall quickly before responding. “Considering how full it was last year I figured you guys need as much space as you can get.”

They both smile at each other before Alex turns around and Tobin wraps her towel around her waist, heading towards the showers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd you like they're interaction??


	6. Chapter 6

Tobin walks into the locker room Thursday evening, expecting it to be full of soccer players but is met with silence.  There’s a lone volleyball player lingering in front of a mirror, but otherwise it’s empty.  Maybe she had stayed later than expected working on her kicks.  

She trudges over to the radio and turns it on, plugging in her phone as the other girl leaves.  She turns on a calming playlist and walks to the showers.  She takes a long cold shower, washing away the layer of dirt and sweat from the practice.  She had decided to stay extra late working on lengthening her kicks.  They had their first real game the next day and it wasn’t going to be easy.  She was getting better and had succeeded at kicking a field goal from the 40 over the summer but had yet been able to repeat it. She leans into the wall, enjoying the water rushing down her back.

Tobin is unsure how much time has passed, probably about twenty minutes, when she hears a loud bang of the door being thrown open.

“What the hell is this music? I can’t dance to this.” Tobin recognizes the loud voice but can’t place it.  She quickly shuts off the shower and walks out in her towel grabbing her phone, which a blonde with short hair has already unplugged.

“Sorry.  It helps me relax.  You guys can put on whatever.”  She notices they’re all in white jerseys.  “You had a game.  How’d it go?”  Tobin looks towards the wall.  It’s still blank.

“It was okay,” Christie says kind of solemn.  Her face then breaks out into a smile, “We only won 6 to 0.”

“Damn.” Tobin responds. “Congrats.”  She walks over to her locker and sits down, pulling a bra over her head and working it on under the towel.

Megan plugs in her iPod and most of the team starts dancing in celebration, the skill level varying drastically.  Tobin quickly finishes getting dressed and grabs her stuff.

She slips passed everyone unnoticed and heads to her car.  Putting her playlist back on, she sings along while slowly making her way home.

~~~

It is still dark when Tobin wakes up well before her alarm Friday morning but she knows that she isn’t going to be able to fall back asleep so she throws the covers off and rolls out of bed.  She pulls on her lucky sports bra before putting on a t-shirt, followed by her red football jersey.  The 17 is white, outlined in a patriotic blue.  Tobin pulls on a pair of gray board shorts and flip flops to complete her outfit for the day.  

She looked in the mirror to psych herself up. ‘ _You’re gonna kick some serious ass._ ’ She grabs everything else she will need from her room and heads downstairs.

After turning on cartoon network, she pops two waffles in the toaster and grabs a plate along with some syrup.  The waffles pop up and she grabs them, sitting back down.  She zones in and out of the show while eating.  Her mind wandering to the 50 yard field goal she had kicked.  She starts to imagine it with her team standing in front of her, snapping the ball.  She then adds another team trying to block it.  A clock winding down to 0 as the ball is kicked.  Fans cheering.  She zones out until she feels her phone buzz in her pocket.

**DD: So pumped for this shit.  We’re gonna kill it**

This was Dom’s first season as a varsity starter after getting in mostly off the bench the previous year or starting in JV games.  Tobin was happy her friend was going to be with her for everything now after being separated their freshman year.  Since she is too antsy to sit there any longer, Tobin hops up and goes to kiss her mom goodbye even though she has 30 minutes before she normally leaves.“I’ll see you at your game tonight, honey.  Good luck.”

“Thanks, Mama.”  

~~~

Tobin pulls into the mostly empty lot and grabs her backpack.  She heads towards the fields as she pulls her headphones on.  She sees a few people running the track but ignores them as she hops the fence and goes to sit in the middle of the field.  She pulls out a small nerf football that her sister had gotten her when she first decided to start football and starts tossing it between her hands.  She lays down after a bit and closes her eyes, replaying her dream kick over and over again.

After a few songs play, a hand touches her leg, and she bolts up, instinctively grabbing at the hand.  Tobin sees Alex sitting cross legged next to her, smiling and laughing softly.  Tobin lets go of her hand as she see’s Alex say something.

Tobin pulls her headphones off.  “What?”

“I said I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to let you know the bell is going to ring in like five minutes.”

Tobin looks at her watch. “Oh thanks, lost track of time.  What are you doing out here?”

Alex stands up and holds out a hand for Tobin, “Running.”  Tobin looks at her hand for a second and then grabs it, mumbling a thanks with a smile.  “I have gym first so I thought I’d run this morning and then shower after.”

Tobin grabs her bag and they head towards the school together.  They are quiet for a bit.  Tobin looks at Alex from the corner of her eye.  ‘ _Just talk.  Say anything.  Conversation will flow._ ’ Tobin remembers Dom’s advice.  “So uh how did you do yesterday, you know, at your game?”

“Not bad.  Two goals.  I almost had a third but it was called offside even though I was nowhere near offside.”

“That sucks,” Tobin says, after a few seconds adding, “I feel with the way the score was you guys are going to need more wall space this year.”

“I hope so.  Why are you offering up some wall space?”

Tobin looks at her, head slightly tilted, “I don’t have any wall space.”

“You sure about that?  That locker of yours has some nice wooden walls in it.”  Tobin chuckles as they walk into the building.

“Is that what I’m going to see when I walk into the locker room today? My locker covered in little soccer balls”

“We’ll see.  We’re putting them up today and I get to put mine up where ever I want.  I like picking the nicest space, and I can see your locker from mine so it would be good motivation.”

Tobin shakes her head, laughing slightly, “I have to head upstairs.  I’ll see you later?”

“I’ll be at the game and the party after.”  

Tobin smiles at her and nods.  “Okay, I’ll see you then.” Alex smiles back at her new potential friend, watching her walk away.

~~~

The final bell rings and Tobin heads out to the parking lot.  She sits in her car tapping her fingers on the steering wheel while waiting for Dom, who finally shows up ten minutes later.  Tobin laughs when he gets in the car.  “What’s so funny?”  

Tobin reaches over and presses her finger to his neck.  “Hope she didn’t tire you out too much on game day.”  Dom pulls down the sun visor and looks in the mirror chuckling and shrugging his shoulders.

“Whatever.  Let’s go eat.  I want me a quesadilla.”  Tobin drives them to a diner five minutes away and parks next to Matt’s car.  They get out and walk in heading to the back booths where a lot of the team is already sitting.  “What’s up, fellas?”   Dom pulls two chairs up to the table for himself and Tobin.  

“Hey, sweethearts. What can I get for you?” Marge, their waitress, asks.  She has been working Friday afternoons ever since Tobin started coming here freshman year and long before that based on the stories Marge tells about players from before Tobin’s time.

“He wants a chicken quesadilla and I want a grilled cheese and fries.”  Tobin responds, throwing an arm around the older woman.

Marge laughs and nods her head. “Why did I even ask?” she asks, dropping her arms holding up her pen and pad.  “You ready for you first game?”

“Of course. We’re going to kick some ass,” Dom says, raising his voice for the last part and is met with some cheers.  Marge walks away and puts their order in before bringing back two waters.

They all eat quickly and head out to their cars, driving back to the school.  They chill in the parking lot, talking and goofing around, for a while before they need to head in to get ready.  Tobin walks across the gym from the boys’ locker room door to her own.  She walks in and moves to her new locker.  The room is quiet and empty because everyone else is either at practice or a game.  She sits and leans down to untie her shoes.  She slowly changes out of her clothes into her uniform.  She looks over at the wall across the opening and sees six paper, soccer balls the size of her fists taped to the wall.  She smiles and pulls her socks on.  

There’s a loud bang on the door before she hears Jason shout, “Hey, Tobin, let’s go.  Coach is waiting for you.”  Tobin quickly grabs her pads from on top of her locker, slipping her helmet inside.  She grips her face mask, lifting them both and then she uses the other hand to grab her shoes.  She heads out the door and walks across the gym to the other locker room.  She bangs her pads loudly against the door before kicking it open to give them fair warning that she is coming in.  She heads over to a bench, sitting next to Dom.  Coach goes over their game plan before leading them out to the field for warm ups.

Tobin stands in front of a net behind their bench, practicing her kicks to warm up her legs. “If you wanted to kick a ball into a net you picked the wrong sport.”  Tobin looks up and sees Alex standing near the fence still in her practice gear.  Tobin smiles before setting up the tee again.

“I tried that, too easy.  It’s a lot harder when you have 250 pound guys charging at you.”  

“That doesn’t sound very fun.  Nutmegging a few people before kicking a goal, now that’s fun.”  Tobin takes a step back before running in and kicking the ball.  It hits the net and Tobin moves to fish it out.  

“To each their own.  I gotta finish warming up.  I’ll see you later.”  Tobin sets up the ball again.

“Good luck out there.  Try not to get tackled by the 250 pound guys.” Alex says as Tobin steps back.

“That’s normally my goal.”  She lines herself up and kicks it into the net again.  Alex watches her for a little bit more before heading to the locker room where the rest of her teammates are already changing.  

With a little over 20 minutes left until kick off, the football players all head back to the boys’ locker room.   Their coach starts his pre-game talk, and they all listen intently as he psyches them up, their cheers getting louder each time.  After a bit, Matt takes over until it’s just a bunch of shouting and helmets hitting lockers.

They head to the edge of the fence waiting for the announcer to call them out.  The cheers are almost deafening when they are called out onto the field.  They walk out calmly, stern faces on, heading for their bench.  When they get to the bench, they start forming a huddle, pounding their helmets and starting to chant. “GRIT, BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS.”  Over and over again until they are shouting too loud to hear anything else, the words all jumbled together.  Matt, Ryan, and the other captain, Luke, shout over everyone else, “1, 2, 3.”  Then together the entire team yells “PATRIOTS.”

The captains grab hands and walk to center field for the coin toss.  Tobin watches them while stretching out her legs.  She knows if they get the call they’ll choose for her to kick it so there is a high chance she’s going to start the game off.  She hops up and down, bringing her legs into her chest each time, stretching them out. The other team wins the toss and decides to receive.  She smiles and grabs her helmet and straps it on.  Dom comes up to her, slamming both hands onto her helmet and looking her in the eyes. “Make them regret it.  Hard and strong, Tobs, you’re gonna be brilliant.”

She brings her hands up to his helmet, “We got this game in the bag.”  She turns and runs onto the field, grabbing the ball from the ref and placing it down while her line sets themselves up.  She checks that they’re ready and steps back, raising her arm.

~~~

Alex watches as the two teams come back to the field after halftime and she finds herself searching out Tobin.  She smiles as she sees Tobin walk towards the bench, sitting down and pulling a towel over her head.  She had an extra point blocked and was pissed.  Even Alex could tell it wasn’t her fault since she hadn’t even reached the ball when two opposing players had dove to block the kick.   Alex had watched Tobin grab the sophomore who had let the guys through by the face mask, pulling him down to her height and tearing into him for a minute before patting his shoulder and walking away to get some water.  They were still winning by 9 points so the missed point wasn’t detrimental, but Alex could tell that didn’t make Tobin feel any better.

Tobin’s head pops up as soon as the first whistle blows and she is on her feet watching the game from the sidelines with the rest of her team.  They end up at the 20 yard line by the time they reach a 4th down.  “Field goal unit, let’s go.” Tobin buckles her helmet and moves into position.  She pats her holder on the shoulder before she lines herself up, nodding to him before he starts the play.  

Alex cheers loudly when she sees the ball fly through the posts.  The whole stadium is cheering as Tobin heads to the other end of the field to kick the ball back to the opposing team.

~~~

Tobin stands on the edge of the field as the other team drives the ball.  With only 30 seconds left they are up by 10 with little chance of the other team scoring.  She stands with Dom and Matt just waiting until they can run onto the field.   A minute later they run out with the cheering crowd behind them.  They raise their helmets in the air and slap each other’s backs.  After some celebration, they turn to the other team and start shaking hands.  Alex watches Tobin work her way through all of the other players before heading fence, she talks to an older woman for a minute, giving her a hug.

After a final team meeting, they are sent to shower.  Tobin heads to her own locker room and puts her pads up on top of her locker.  She then sits down to pull her shoes off.  She leans back and catches something out of the corner of her eye causing her to turn.  She sees two cut out footballs both with her name on it, one with ‘2nd Q’ and the other with ‘3rd Q’.  One for each field goal she kicked.

She smiles and touches them.  “I only had two cut outs.  I wasn’t expecting you to score so much, so I just did the field goals.  Those are worth more anyways.” Tobin smiles as she turns towards the voice.  She sees Alex walking towards her from her locker.

“Thank you.” Tobin says genuinely.

“I know you American footballers get stickers, that go on your helmet, for good plays and scoring and stuff but I figured soccer is also called football so you should have the same traditions as us for when you score.  And look we both have two,” Alex points to her wall.

“Well technically I scored five times.  I scored five times to your two.  I’m winning.”

“For now.” Alex says, her competitive side coming out.  “Want to make a little friendly wager?”  Tobin stands up and starts undoing her pants.  Alex looks down at Tobin’s hands as they loosen the ties. She bites her lip and looks back up.

“What do you have in mind?”  Tobin pushes her pants down and steps out of them.  Alex stares at Tobin, who is now just in tight red Nike compression tank top and blue compression shorts.  

“I uh... I don’t know.  We could say that whoever scores more has to do something?...Anything that the other person wants,” Alex says, stumbling over her words.

“Okay.  How is this fair though?  You have more games than I do.”

“Maybe but it’s easier for you to score.  You already have three more than me.  When does your season end?”

“Um regular season ends like mid-November but if we make it into the playoffs we keep going until we lose.”

“Okay well, we’ll count until both regular seasons end.  Any playoff points won’t count.”  Tobin pulls off her tank top so she is in just her sports bra.  Alex looks down at the flat stomach while the shirt is covering Tobin’s face.  She bites her lip again before looking back up.  “So are you going to the party?”

“I guess for a little while.”

“Cool.  Do you maybe want to give me a ride?  My friends all kind of already left.”

Tobin shrugs her shoulders, nodding, “Yeah sure.  I kinda need to shower first though.”  

Alex nods her head vigorously, “Of-of course.  Sorry, go-go ahead.”  Alex sits down on the bench next to Tobin’s locker as she heads towards the showers.  Alex pulls out her phone when she feels it vibrate.

**Syd: Hey where are you?  I thought you were getting a ride with Kelley but she said you bailed.**

**Alex: I stayed at school.  I’ll get a ride.  Be there in like 30 minutes.**

**Syd:  Who’s giving you a ride?  Want me to ask Dom?**

**Alex: No it’s fine.  I’ll see you there**

**Syd: Okay.  You still never told me where you disappeared to…**

**Alex: I had to get something from my locker and then everyone was gone**

**Alex: I found a ride though so it’s cool that my supposed friends left me :P**

Alex puts her phone back in her pocket and walks over to one of the closets connected to the locker room.  She grabs a soccer ball and starts juggling it in the large open part of the room.  She turns around when she hears the squeak of flip flops to see Tobin heading towards her in a towel.  Alex lets the ball drop and moves out of her way.  Tobin walks to her locker and starts getting out her clothes.  Alex kicks the ball back up and tries to concentrate on only the ball while Tobin changes.  She looks over while Tobin is in just a bra and shorts and mishandles it because she is more focused on the lace trim of the lime green bra.  The ball bounces off a locker loudly and rolls towards Tobin.  Tobin looks up and sees the ball coming towards her.  She swiftly kicks it up, bounces it once on her thigh, then passes it lightly through the air over to Alex.  Alex traps it with her leg and brings it right down looking back at Tobin.  She has a white V-neck in her hands and is pulling it over her head.

“I don’t think that’s a football skill.” Alex says, questioningly.

“It’s harder with a football but possible.”

“How often does it come up that you need to juggle a football?”

“Quite often actually.”  She grabs her gym bag and lifts the strap over her head and onto her opposite shoulder. “Ready?”

Alex nods and they head out, “When does that ever come up?”

“Well let’s see,” Tobin holds up a closed fist, “when I’m trying to show off ,” one finger up, “when I’m trying to make some money,” raises a second, “when I’m bored at practice,” another, “when I’m bored at home,” she raises a fourth, “when-.”

“Okay,” Alex laughs, “any time in a game?”

“Not yet,” Tobin says, sounding slightly disappointed, “But you never know.  A bad snap and maybe I’ll need it.  You can never be too prepared.”

“So, never?” Alex says with a lopsided smile.

“Yeah, basically it’s pointless.”  Alex laughs and pushes Tobin lightly who breaks out in a smile.  They reach Tobin’s car quickly and she opens the trunk to put her stuff in.  “Do you want to put your bag back here?”

“Sure.”  Alex goes to put her bag next to Tobin’s and looks at the painted football on the side window.

“Are you hungry?”

“Uh a little I guess.  Why?”

“Because I have food.”  Tobin closes the trunk.

“What do you have?”

“I don’t know.  Let’s see.”  Tobin walks toward the driver side door.

“How do you not know?”  Alex wonders out loud.

“Chocolate chip cookies,” Tobin calls across the car.  Alex walk to the other door and hops in.  She sees Tobin with a plate of wrapped cookies.  She holds it out to her.  Alex grabs the plate, pulling at one side to unwrap it and takes a cookie.  Tobin reaches her hand over and grabs the cookie in Alex’s hand.  “Thanks,” she smirks while starting the car.  Alex grabs another and makes a big show of licking it. “I would still eat that, but I won’t steal it from you this time.  Promise.”

Tobin starts driving out of the lot as Alex puts the plate in her lap.  “You’re gross.”  She takes a bite of her cookie, “Oh my god, these are so good.”  Tobin smiles.  

“I’ll let Tori know you’re a fan.”  She pulls up to a red light and turns to Alex.  “So why are you talking to me?”

Alex chokes on her bite of cookie.  She doesn’t regain her composure until Tobin starts driving again, looking over at her from the corner of her eye as she switches lanes.  “I’m sorry, what?” she asks after clearing her throat.

“I mean you were here all last year and not a single soccer player talked to me, except I think Kelley once and maybe Syd because of Dom.  Did Syd just dump me off on you?  I told her she didn’t have to do that.”

“What? No.  Yeah the bowling thing was Dom, and that was significantly awkward, and I don’t want to talk about you beating me but everything else was just me.  You seemed nice, well you are nice.  I can stop if you want me to.” Alex looks over at her, realizing she was rambling.

“No just I was wondering what changed.” Tobin states as they pull up to the house, parking across the street.

They both hop out and walk to the door together.  “Nothing changed really.  I just had an excuse to talk to you this year.  Last year you were the scary girl who played football.”

“And I’m not scary anymore?”

“No, not really.  I’ve seen you get tossed around like a sack of potatoes one too many times.”

“I don’t get tossed around that much.”  The door opens and a very drunk football player charges at her, lifting her over his shoulder and running around the lawn.

Alex bursts out laughing, “You were saying?”

“Standesco, if you don’t put me down right now, I will rip off that new nipple piercing that you think is so cool.”  This causes Alex to start laughing even harder while the kid puts her down.  “Thank you.  Now why don’t you go get yourself a cup of water?”  He bows on unsteady feet and heads back into the house.  Tobin turns to a laughing Alex, “I don’t want to hear it.”  Alex bites her lip trying to hold in her laugh but it doesn’t work as they walk in.

A few steps through the door, Alex is brushed aside as two guys bend low into Tobin’s legs and pick her up so she is sitting on their shoulders.  She grabs both of their heads to keep herself from falling and lets out a high pitched squeak.  Tobin looks down and sees the twins, Connor and Austin.  She looks around for Alex, but they have moved so far through the crowd already that Tobin can’t find her.  They take her outside, ducking low through the door so she won’t hit her head.  “Guys, where are we going?”

“We’re having a team meeting,” Connor said.

“While everyone is drunk?”

“You’re not drunk, so you’re the voice of reason,” Austin adds with a slight slur.  “We were sent to find you.”

Tobin looks up and sees five guys sitting in the hot tub in just their boxers.  “Wait guys I’m not dressed to swim today?”

“We can throw you in clothed,” Connor offers.

“Why can’t I just stand at the edge?”  

“Because then you’re not part of our inner circle.”

“Oh my god you guys are ridiculous.  Put me down.”

They high five and set her down, getting into the hot tub after pulling off their shirts. Tobin flicks off her flip flops, luckily she was wearing board shorts so those could stay on.  She takes out her phone, wallet and keys and placing them with her shoes.  She looked down at her white shirt ‘ _on or off_.’ “Let’s go Tobin,” Ryan calls from the hot tub.  ‘ _It’s basically a bikini so why not_.’ She pulls off her shirt to the whistling of all the guys.

“Oh shut up and move over.”  They make room for her and she climbs in.  “So what is so important that a meeting of the dimwits was called?”

“First off, we are a society of knuckleheads, so I take offense.”  Tobin laughs at Matt before he continues holding up a second finger, “Second we want to know if you want to go paintballing tomorrow?”

“Seriously, that was it?” Tobin stands up to leave.

“Is that a no?” Jason asks sadly.  “We won’t have even numbers unless you come.”

“Sorry, guys, I can’t. I have stuff to do tomorrow for the parentals.”  Looking around at the disappointed faces, she compromises, “If you push it to Sunday though, I can go.”  She looks around at them while they all put their hands in the middle signaling they can go. Once all the hands are in Tobin puts hers on top.

“Knuckleheads on three,” Matt starts, “1, 2, 3.”

“KNUCKLEHEADS,” everyone but Tobin shouts.  Tobin shakes her head as she stands up to get out. Ryan grabs her arm, pulling her into the middle.  She slips slightly and goes all the way under.  She stands up and splashes Ryan, which causes him to splash back.  Soon all of them are trying to drown each other, and Tobin sneakily hops out.

Across the yard Ashlyn, Ali, and Sydney are staring at them, all with various looks of confusion on their face.

“She seems so confident when she’s with them.  She just got in the tub full of guys in just a bra and not in a remotely sexual way,” Ali says.  Ashlyn nods and smiles down at Ali, taking a small step closer to the defender.

Alex walks over to them with a drink in her hand.  “Hey, guys, what’re we talking about?”

“Tobin,” Ashlyn says, motioning towards the hot tub.  Alex turns to see Tobin again in just her bra, but this time she’s dripping wet.  Alex quickly turns back to the group, glad that it’s semi dark out and they probably can’t see her cheeks heating up.

“What about her?”

“Just that she seems cool.  Not the strange girl we thought she was for the two previous years,” Ashlyn answers.

Alex nods at her and chugs her drink. “Damn, baby horse, go easy,” Ali says with a laugh.  Alex looks back at Tobin who is putting her wet hair up in a messy bun, still shirtless.  

“I’m going to go get another.” She heads inside to get a stronger drink.  When come back out, her eyes immediately going towards the hot tub, but Tobin is nowhere to be found.

Dom comes over with two drinks and hands one to Sydney, sliding his now free hand around her waist and kissing her cheek.  She steps away from him, “Dom, you’re all wet.”  Dom smiles and leans in again, whispering something into her ear.  Sydney turns to him and slaps at his chest, shaking her head with an amused smile.

She talks with the three soccer players and Dom for a little while and then some football players come and join them.  They all talk for a bit longer until Sydney says she wants to dance.  Ali agrees and grabs Ashlyn’s hand and pulls her into the house.

“So do you want to dance too?” a voice asks Alex.  She turns to the guy next to her. ‘ _He’s cute._ ’  

“Sure,” she responds.  He smiles at her and places his hand on her back, leading her inside.  They get to the room that is acting as a dance floor.  Alex can see Sydney grinding with Dom and slightly to the left she can see Ashlyn and Ali dancing far less provocatively. Alex walks over to the two who turn towards her slightly and the four of them form a circle.  

After half an hour of dancing they all decide they need another drink.  They grab them from the kitchen before heading back outside.  Once they find a group of chairs at the edge of the patio they start to talk about the game and Alex realizes she still doesn’t know the guy’s name.  

“So what position do you play?”

“Well I’m kinda a jack of all trades.  I am a running back, a safety, and a kicker.”

“I thought Tobin was the kicker.” Ashlyn chuckles as the guy’s cheeks tint red.

“I’m the backup kicker.  In case she gets hurt or something.  I normally just play running back and safety.”

Matt comes up behind the guy, “Hey, Serv.  You bothering these beautiful ladies?”

He shakes his head, “Nope, just talking about football.”

“Well I’m sure they could care less.  Come on we’re taking on the soccer team at flip cup, and we need a fifth.”

He nods and walks away, but not before smiling at Alex, “I’ll see you later, Alex.”  

Once the door is closed Ashlyn leans over to her, “I’ll see you later, Alex,” she whispers into her ear.

“Oh shut up, Ash,” Alex says.  “Can one of you give me a ride home?”

Ali nods, “Yeah I was going to leave in a few anyways.”

“Wow guys, way to bail on me,” Ashlyn groans.  Ali pokes her in the stomach before walking away with a smirk.


	7. Chapter 7

Tobin rolls out of bed the next morning, bright and early.  She has a long list of chores she has to run for her parents, a contingency of them buying her a car.  She walks down the stairs, grabbing a pop tart.  “Good morning,” her dad calls from the table.

“Hey pops. Where’s the list of stuff so I can get started?”

“By the door, under your keys.  I left my credit card there too but that is only to be used for things on the list and lunch if you promise to get me something.”  Tobin salutes him with a mouth full of pop tart.  She heads towards the door, grabbing everything then heading out.  First stop is the paint store.  She sets the three cans of primer for the basement on the floor of the passenger seat and looks at the second item.  Next to the pharmacy to pick up the family’s supply of vitamins and medicine.  

She continues driving around town until lunch when she is finally done and heads home.  After unloading the car, she brings in the deli sandwiches she bought, putting one on a plate for herself and sitting down to watch some tv. After an hour of sportscenter she decides she should start her homework.  She heads out to her car to grab her bag and sees Alex’s bag still laying in her trunk.  ‘ _Shit._ ’ Tobin grabs both bags and heads inside.  She puts hers near the kitchen table looking at Alex’s.  After thinking for a bit it hits her, ‘ _Kelley._ ’ Tobin smiles to herself and heads back outside with Alex’s bag on her back.  She walks through a little parting between two trees to get to O’Hara’s yard.  She walks up to the front door and rings the bell.  A minute later Mr. O’Hara opens the door with a slightly shocked look on his face.  “Well hello, Tobin.  What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if Kelley was home,” Tobin

“She is, come in.”  He steps back, making room for her to enter. Tobin walks in and smiles at him.

“Thanks.”

“Let me just call her down,” he walks over to the stairs and shouts up, “KELLEY there’s someone here for you.”  Tobin can hear her say something back as Mr. O’Hara turns back around.  “So how was the game last night?  I heard you guys won.”

“We did well.  It was a nice way to start off the season,” she replies politely as she hears a thump above them.  Kelley bounds down the stairs stopping a few steps from the landing when she notices Tobin, staring confused at her.

“Uh, hey, Tobin?”  Tobin rubs the back of her neck as Kelley walks over and pats her dad’s back.

“Well I can take a hint,” he laughs.  “Nice seeing you again Tobin.”

“You too,” Tobin says back.  They both watch him walk away before Kelley turns back around.

“So, um, whatcha doing here?”

“Oh right.  Uh Alex left her bag in my car yesterday and I don’t have her number or anything.” Tobin lifts the bag off her shoulder.  “I figured since you guys were friends you would know how to get it back to her.”

“Um yeah sure you can leave it with me.  I’m seeing her tomorrow.”

“Cool.  Thanks.  I guess I’ll see you at school then.” Kelley nods and Tobin walks back to the door, heading out.

Kelley pulls out her phone as soon as the door closes.

**Kel: Do you want to tell me why Tobin Heath was just in my house**

**Alex: I don’t know.  Her mom made cookies for your mom**

**Kel: No...**

**Alex:  I don’t know Kel.  What?**

**Kel: Someone left their bag in her car**

**Alex: Oh shit. I forgot about that.  Do you have it?**

**Kel: Yes but that still doesn’t explain why it was there in the first place**

**Alex: She gave me a ride to the party last night after you guys bailed on me**

**Kel: We didn’t bail. You disappeared**

**Alex: Whateves can you bring it to the game tomorrow?**

**Kel: Sure**

**Alex: Thanks Kel**

~~~

Tobin walks into school and heads towards her locker.  She throws some books in before slamming it shut only to find Dom leaning against the locker behind it.

“Holy-. Dude don’t do that.  You scared me.” Dom laughs and throws an arm around Tobin’s shoulder as they head for their class.

“So I hear you’re stirring things up with the soccer team but on the plus side this means you’re at least communicating with them which was the plan from the get go.”

“What?” Tobin looks at him very confused. “What am I stirring up?”

“You gave Alex a ride to the party and then went to Kelley’s house to give her Alex’s bag which had been in your car _all_ night.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I am dating the epicenter of all of the gossip in the entire world.  I know everything that goes on.”

They get to class and take their seats seconds before the bell rings.  Dom pulls out his phone and signals to Tobin to do the same before typing out a text.

**DD: So is she your type?**

Tobin looks at him then back down at her phone.

**Tobs: What???**

**DD: Is Alex your type?**

Tobin starts to type again but gets another message from Dom first

**DD: I can totally see it.  You two would look good together**

Tobin glares at Dom as she slides her phone into her pocket.  Dom smiles and sends one more text that Tobin ignores.

**DD: I’ll take that as a yes.  Let me know when we can start planning**

~~~

Tobin tries to stay awake but sleep eventually takes over in 2nd period, film studies, with all the lights off and Casablanca playing on the screen.  

The ringing of the bell, ending the period, wakes her up and she walks out of class rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.  “How was your nap?” Dom asks as he walks out of the door from his psychology class in the neighboring room.

“Not long enough.  I really don’t want to take this quiz.”

“It won’t be that bad.  It was like ten pages of reading.”

“I know.  I read it,” she whines, “it was just super boring.”  They walk into class and sit down.

~~~

Alex watches as Tobin walks into lunch with Dom and move to their table.  She hops up and walks over to them.  “Hey, Tobin,” Alex greets cheerfully.

They both turn. “Hi Alex,” she responds. Dom slaps Tobin’s shoulders, smirking at her before heading to their table alone. “So did you get your bag?  I don’t know where you lived or have your number and I figured it would be easier to go through just Kelley then both Dom and Syd.”

“Oh yeah I got it. Thanks and thanks again for the ride.”

“It was no trouble. I was going there anyways. I didn’t see you after we walked in though.  Did you leave?”

“No.  I just wasn’t being carried around like some people,” she smirks

“Hey,” Tobin says pointedly. “I don’t ask for that.  I just think they like doing it because I’m smaller than the rest of the guys on the team, and therefore lighter.”

“I mean they got you in a hot tub without your shirt on, I think that might be what that had up their sleeve.”

‘ _How did she know that?_ ’ Tobin wonders.  “Um no.  It wasn’t like that.  They’re like my brothers.” ‘ _and I’m into women._ ’

“Do they know that?” Alex questions, turning to look at the table of Tobin’s teammates.

‘ _That I’m into women?_ ’ “Yes.  I believe it is a mutual agreement that none of us will end up dating each other.  Well, at least involving me.  I don’t know if any of them want to date each other.  I don’t go in their locker room unless they are all clothed.”

Alex laughs and shakes her head, “I’ll see you after school?”

Tobin nods, “I’ll be the one with the big shoulders and round head.”

Alex shoves her lightly before saying, “Later Tobin.”

They both head to their respective tables.  Tobin looks up from her lunch to see Dom staring at her from across the table.

“What?”

“Nothing.”  He answers, smiling at her for a minute before turning to talk to Connor.

~~~

Tobin trudges into the locker room and tosses her bag into her locker, groaning. Alex looks over as Tobin is shrugging off her sweatshirt and notices a few circular bruises on Tobin’s arm that kind of look like fingerprints.  Alex keeps staring as Tobin slips her shirt off and starts digging through her bag.  Alex notices more small bruises all over Tobin’s torso and a few large ones near her shoulder and on her side. ‘ _Those definitely weren’t there Friday._ ’

Alex starts to walk over as Tobin pulls on a fitted t-shirt and by the time she gets to her Tobin is stepping out of her cargo shorts.  “Tobin?”  Tobin looks up with a smile and a head nod before Alex continues. “Are you okay?”

“Um, yeah why?”  Tobin asks confused.  Alex rubs her hands together and looks around, there are a few eyes on her, Abby, Hope, and Kelley.  She grabs Tobin’s hand and pulls her to one of the closets.  Tobin looks at her, eyebrows knitted together, “Alex?” ‘ _Oh my God. What’s she doing?_ ’

“Well you uh have some…If there is something going on at home you can talk to someone.  It doesn’t have to be me but it can be.”

“Alex, what are you talking about?” Tobin asks, looking at Alex like she’s crazy

“The bruises,” Alex gestures to Tobin’s body, “and I know those aren’t from football.”

“What brui…oh.”  Tobin lifts up the front of her shirt exposing her smooth stomach.  Alex would have been more excited if she wasn’t so focused on the round bruises all over her skin.  “This is from paintball.  The place had a kid’s birthday party going on so they didn’t have any chest protectors in my size.  I took off the one they gave me so I could move easier and Connor and Ryan ambushed me and shot me like 20 times.”

Alex gets red, “Oh.”

Tobin laughs and pats Alex’s shoulder before stepping out of the closet, “Thanks for caring though.”

Alex watches her laugh to herself while she walks back to her locker and pulls on basketball shorts from the closet doorway. She doesn’t notice Abby, Ashlyn, and Ali all staring at her.  

Tobin stuffs her feet into her running shoes and leans into her locker to tie them.  She sees the footballs that Alex had taped up in her peripheral and turns to look at them.  She notices three tiny cut out helmets had been added to the wall.  Each with ‘TH’ and the quarter the extra point was kicked.  She looks back to the closet as Alex steps out.  “How did you do that?” she calls.  Alex walks back over hesitantly.

“Do what?”

“Put up the helmets.”

“Oh we had a game yesterday.  I did it then.  Also I think I decided that extra points should only count as half a point.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you don’t really have to work hard for them.  Your team scores a touchdown and then you just have to kick it.  It’s from the same spot and it’s not that far of a distance.”

“How is that any different from a PK in soccer?”

“Because there’s a goalie.”

“Okay and having like 2000 pounds of sweaty high school boys coming at me makes it easier,” Tobin responds sarcastically.

“Ew. Fine, they’ll still count.”

“You’re just going to have to work extra hard this season if you want to keep up with me.”

Alex nods and turns to head to her locker, “Oh wait.” She turns back around.  “Who’s the backup kicker?”

“Uh Servando? Why?”

“I don’t know I met him at the party but didn’t get his name.”

“Uh yeah, he’s a senior.  He’s pretty chill.”

“He’s a senior?”

“Yep.”

“Okay.  I’ll see you after practice then.” Tobin nods and heads to the weight room.

~~~

Dom waits outside the locker room after practice for Tobin to change and shower.  “Hey Tobs,” he calls when he sees her exiting.

“Hey. You waiting on Syd? Want me to get her?” she asks, pointing back at the door with her thumb.

“Nope. You,” he responds, walking next to her.

“Well what can I do for you?”

“I wanted to ask you something.  Let’s head out to the parking lot.”

They get outside and Tobin turns her head to Dom, raising an eyebrow, “So what’s up?”

“I just noticed that you and Alex are becoming closer.”

“Okay and…”

“Well you went from ‘I don’t know how to talk to girls,’ to... well,” he lowers his voice, “kinda flirting with one.”

Tobin comes to a stop, “I am not flirting.  I don’t even know how.”

“Do you like her?” Dom asks.

“What? No.”  Dom stares her down, Tobin groans before continuing. “I don’t know. Maybe.”  She sighs.  “She’s beautiful and nice to me, but she’s straight and if I did anything that would just weird her out. I think we’re kinda becoming friends but that’s it.”

“How do you know she’s straight?  Most of the school thinks you’re straight.” Dom looks at Tobin and flicks her snapback, “for some strange reason.”

“She was asking me about Serv earlier, kinda like in a should-I-date-him sort of way.”

“Really? I thought she was doing more flirting then you.”  He shrugs.  “Whatever.  If you need help finding a lady friend though, let me know.”

Tobin laughs as they continue to their cars. “Why? Do you have this long list of lesbians that you can call up for me?”

“It’s not a long list but I do have one.”

“Bull. You don’t have a list?”

“I do so.” Dom smiles.  “I’ll call her right now.”  He pulls out his phone, pushes a few buttons, and then places it to his ear.

Tobin watches him until she feels her phone vibrate.  She pulls it out and sees Dom’s face on her phone screen.  She slaps his arm.  “You idiot.  Your list consists of me and that’s it.  That doesn’t count as a list.  Also, can’t really date myself.”

Dom shrugs and unlocks his car.  “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye D.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: So I'm giving you guys a choice on my update schedule. I have to go away Thursday to Monday and am not taking my computer (aka no updates). The chapter 8 is pretty short (<2000 words), chapter 9 is longer (~3500), and chapter 10 short again (<1500). Keep in mind that chapter 9 ends in a way where I think most of you will hate me/want to cut off my head.   
> So here are the options.  
> 1\. I just post chapter 8 then post 9 &10 like a day apart when I get back  
> 2\. Post 8 & 9 before I leave and 10 when I get back (this means you have to sit with the bad ending for ~5 days)


	8. Chapter 8

Alex walks off the bus Tuesday after their game.  It had been close but they luckily came out with a 2-1 win.  She had the first goal while Abby had the game winning header.  As they walk into the gym some of the guys were leaving.  Dom comes over and gives Sydney a kiss.  “Do you want me to wait for you?”

“No, it's fine babe, I’ll see you tomorrow.”  He kisses her again and jogs to catch up with his friends.  

“Hey, wait up,” a voice calls from the door to the girls’ locker room.  They turn and see Tobin running to catch up to the leaving group of guys.  She smiles at the soccer players as she rushes by, jumping on Connor’s back and hanging on.

They smile as they walk into the locker room.  Megan turns on some music and they all get ready to head to the showers or home.  Alex tosses her bag towards her locker.  She pulls her clothes off and heads to the showers with a towel she left on the bench.  

She washes off the dirt and sweat and heads back to her locker.  She opens it to pull out her clean clothes and a piece of paper falls out.  She bends down to pick it up, unfolding it.

_Look in my locker. Under my helmet. –Tobin_

She puts on her clothes then moves to Tobin’s locker.  She reaches up and grabs Tobin’s helmet, lifting it up.  Underneath there is a paper plate full of cookies.

“Hey Alex.  Whatcha doing over there?”

Alex looks over to Carli still holding Tobin’s helmet.  She reaches back into the cubby and grabs the plate of cookies.  “Tobin made us cookies for our win.”

“Aw.  We got our own little cheerleader.” Megan bounces over and grabs the plate.  “Don’t mind if I do.”  She looks down at the plate. “Not sure if this was for me Alex.”  She hands Alex another note before picking up a cookie.

_Am I still winning our little competition? As much as I hope I am, I also hope you scored a ton of goals.  Enjoy the cookies.  They might not be as good as Tori’s but I tried._

_-Tobin_

“So what’s the competition there Alex?” Alex looks up at Megan, unable to contain her smile.

“Um who can score more.”

“We’ll who’s winning?” Megan asks, biting into her cookie.

“As of today were tied.”

Megan smiles around the cookie in her mouth. “I can tell Serv your address and you can be winning by tonight.” She nudges Alex with her elbow before handing back the plate.  

“You’re disgusting.”

“I try.”

Alex tucks both notes into her pocket.  She grabs a cookie for herself and hands out the rest before leaving.  She walks to her dad’s car and climbs in.

~~~

Dom walks into class and sits down next to Tobin.  “Cookies, Tobs? Really?”

“Oh my lord.  I feel like I can’t go to the bathroom anymore without you knowing.”

“Well you’re courting my girlfriend’s best friend.”

“I am _not_ courting her,” Tobin says adamantly in a loud whisper.

“That’s what it seems like to me.”

“Well maybe you got hit a little too hard at practice yesterday.”

“Dude if you like her that’s okay. People have crushes where the other person doesn’t like them back.  Just cause she’s straight doesn’t change anything.  It’s all the same.”

Tobin shrugs and pulls out her notebook with a groan as she turns towards the front.

~~~

Alex looks towards Tobin’s locker as the soccer team walks into the locker room after practice.  ‘ _Where is she?  Her car was here but I haven’t see her all day._ ’

Her pads are not in her locker like they were when Alex left for practice.  Alex forgoes changing and heads back out of the locker room.  She sees the football players coming up and waits near the door as they all walk by her, looking for Tobin.  Servando and a few others she’s friends with say hi.  As Dom brings up the end of the group he sees Alex.  “She’s still on the field,” he says with a knowing smirk.

Alex nods, “Thanks.”  She walks out the door and jogs towards the football field.  She gets to the fence and leans against it.  Tobin is standing in the middle of the field setting up something that holds the football straight up and down.  She steps back before running forward kicking it.  The ball falls a few feet short of the goal posts.  Alex can hear her groan as she grabs another ball and sets it up again.  She walks to the opening in the fence as Tobin kicks another one.  This goes way off to the left.  “Isn’t practice over?” Alex calls out.

Tobin looks up, startled.  “I’m just getting in some extra kicks.” Tobin sets up the next ball and looks to Alex who is standing a few feet away.  “I did this kick once over the summer but it was windy and I think it was just a fluke.”

“It wasn’t a fluke, you just need to keep trying.”  Tobin smiles at her then refocuses on the ball.  She steps back running in again to kick it.  It bounces over the back line going out of bounds. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Want to go grab all those balls?” Tobin points down field.

“Uh sure.” Tobin laughs as Alex jogs away, setting up the next one.  She steps up slamming it down field.  It hits the post holding the field goal up and ricochets.  “Woah! Warning next time.  That could have taken my head off.”  Alex cries out.  She picks up two balls then looks at Tobin.  “Is there a better way to do this?  I can’t carry all of them at once.”

“You could throw them,” Tobin steps back for the next kick, calling out “FORE” before kicking it.

“Ha ha very funny.  Catch.”  Alex tries to throw the ball to Tobin.  It makes it about halfway before it hits the ground and bounces to the side.  Tobin claps for her trying hard not to laugh.  Alex smirks as she gets an idea.  She picks up another ball and drops it in front of her, kicking it hard. It sails high over Tobin’s head, far out of reach.

“Damn.  You could have my job.” Tobin jogs over to her with the empty bag for the balls.  Alex is standing there smiling proudly.  Tobin grabs a ball dropping it into the bag. “So I wonder how fast you could get all the balls in the bag.”

“Nice try,” Alex says.

“Do you think you can get more than me?” Tobin challenges with a smirk.

“Oh you’re on Heath.”  Alex turns around and sprints towards a cluster of balls.  Tobin chuckles as she jogs to the fence to grab one that went way off.  She returns with one to see that Alex has already brought back five and is almost done.  Tobin turns to get the one that Alex kicked over her head. They get back at the same time, “I win.”

“If that’s how you see this, then yes, you won.”

“I got more,”Alex says confused.  “Clearly I won.”

“I got you to pick most of them up for me so I think I won,” Tobin says, “but we can just call it a tie.”  Alex scoffs as they turn and head for the school.  “So did you score yesterday?”

Alex smiles proudly, “Of course.  But only once so we’re tied at 5.  Pressure is on.  Don’t choke now.”

“Are you going to come to the game on Friday?”

“I don’t know if I can.  It’s kinda far away and we have a game in the afternoon,” Alex says sadly.  

“Oh that’s fine,” Tobin responds dejectedly.  “Well you should still come to the party.”

“I probably will but will I actually see you or are you going to get carried away again by your royal subjects?” They enter the now empty locker room and head to their respective lockers still keeping up the conversation.  

“Well maybe if I was already being carried by you they wouldn’t steal me away.”

Alex turns to look at Tobin as Tobin pulls her shirt off.  “You are like a ton of bricks. I can’t carry you.”

Tobin looks at Alex and sees that she’s already looking back.  Tobin feels a little self-conscious and grabs her towel.  “Wow Alex. Thanks.”

Alex grabs her towel and walks with Tobin towards the shower stalls.  “You just got a lot of muscle packed into your tiny little frame.”

“Tiny little frame?  Need I remind you I play football?”

“Tobin you’re shorter than me.  I could probably take you down.”

Tobin stops right before they enter. “Woah. No.  I could take you down in a heartbeat.  Just because I’m the kicker doesn’t mean I can’t tackle.  I need to be able to tackle on kickoff and punt returns in case they get through everyone.  I practice tackling.  I know how to throw my ‘tiny little frame’ around enough to take down guys twice my size.”

Smiling, Alex steps into the shower and closes the curtain calling out, “We’ll see,” as she turns on the water.

“What does that mean?” Tobin calls out as Alex turns the water on.

“Just you wait.”  They both shower quickly and get out.  Alex sends a quick text to her mom that she’s almost done before starting to get dressed.  

Tobin is dressed first and walks over to Alex.  “Do you need a ride?”

“Oh no it’s cool.  You live in like the opposite direction as me.”

Tobin looks at her, eyebrow raised, “How do you know where I live?”

“Uh you’re neighbors with Kelley.”

“Oh right, duh.  Well anyways still it’s no problem.”

“It’s fine, I already texted my mom.”  Tobin nods and starts to head out.  Alex smiles watching her round the corner. ‘ _Oh wait_ ’ “Tobin?” Alex calls out, Tobin’s head pops back around the corner. “Thanks for the cookies.”  Tobin’s face lights up.

“I’m glad you liked them.”

“Well I more like that I have my own personal cheerleader but it’s whatever.”  Tobin chuckles as she turns back around.  

“Bye Alex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so based on the responses you guys would rather suffer so heres chapter 8. 9 will up tomorrow night or thursday morning and chapter 10 will be either monday/tuesday


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay lovelies, here it is.  
> WARNING: There is no way to sugar coat this so, y'all are going to want to kill me after this one especially cause I'm leaving so if you are willing and capable maybe wait till I get back and update again (not that the next chapter fixes anything) or just read it knowing you wait like five days for any sort of relief

Dom walks into class late and pulls his phone out, shooting Tobin a look.  She pulls hers out and gets a text from him a second later.

**DD: So Alex was looking for you yesterday.  Anything you want to share?**

**Tobs: Well after making out under the bleachers we had sex in the showers.**

Dom starts choking on air causing Tobin to start cracking up.  After they had both settled down and been given a look by the teacher, Dom turns to her mouthing, ‘Oh My God. Seriously?’

“No you idiot,” she whispers back, going back to her phone.

**Tobs: I got her cookies and since I fell asleep again in class yesterday I had to rewatch the movie at lunch so she didn’t see me at lunch/before practice**

**DD: cookies AND a love note**

**Tobs: It wasn’t a love note**

**DD: Kinda was**

**Tobs: Wait does Syd know?**

**DD: Yea she’s the one that told me**

**Tobs: No. Does she know that I like her**

Dom looks at his phone then back at Tobin before typing.

**Dom: Not about Alex but she knows you're gay. She guessed.  I didn’t confirm it but yeah she knows.  She won’t tell anyone though.**

Tobin stares at her phone, putting it in her pocket before raising her hand and asking to go to the bathroom.  As she stands up Dom calls out softly to her.  She turns and he can see she’s upset.  He tries to get excused to the bathroom too but isn’t allowed.  Five minutes later Tobin walks back in with a very fake small smile plastered to her face.  Her hairline is wet and her eyes are red and swollen.  Dom can tell it isn’t authentic but just waits until class is over.

“Tobin I’m really sorry.  She doesn’t know about your crush.  She just wanted to know why I needed to help you talk to girls.”  

“Dom it’s fine.  I’m used to being made fun of.  I just hoped I could get through high school without it happening for this reason.”

“She won’t make fun of you and she’s not going to tell anyone.”

“Just like you weren’t?”  Tobin quietly snaps before turning quickly and heading off to class.

“TOBS,” Dom calls after her.  He sees her head turn into her class and groans.  He walks to his own class quickly and pulls out his phone, sending a few texts.

**DD: Tobin seriously I’m sorry.  She won’t say anything.  I’ll stop bringing it all up.**

**Dom <3: Baby you haven’t told anyone right?**

He only gets back one response.

**Sydney: Real specific there**

**Dom <3: About Tobin**

**Sydney: No I haven’t said a word. Why?**

**Dom <3: She found out you know and got super upset**

**Sydney: I’m sorry baby.  Do you need me to talk to her or something?  I promise I’m not going to tell anyone**

**Dom <3: No that will make it worse.**

**Sydney: Okay.  Let me know if there’s anything**

**Dom <3: Thanks**

~~~

Tobin is glum through lunch and chooses to sit in between Austin and Connor a few seats away from Dom.  Alex tries to walk over and say hi when she sees Tobin walk in but Sydney calls her back, making up an excuse of needing help picking out the right shoes for tomorrow’s party.

~~~

Tobin walks into the locker room with her head down and headphones on.  She gets dressed quickly, keeping her eyes on the ground.  She barely notices everyone around her and only takes her headphones off when she needs to change her shirt.  Alex looks over at the older girl but can tell she doesn’t want to be bothered.  She pulls on her red jersey and starts getting in the right mindset for her game.  She sees Tobin grab her pads and drag them out the door.  Sydney watches her too.  Although it had been a recent thing to see Tobin smiling and joking while in the locker room she had never seen her this upset.  She normally just kept to herself.

They both shake the thought out of their heads.  They need to keep their winning streak going.

~~~

The second half starts and the score is tied at 2-2, Alex and Abby both with a goal.  Megan crosses the ball in and Abby goes in for a header at the same time the keeper comes out to punch it away.  She ends up clipping Abby’s nose along with the ball.  Abby has to come out until the blood stops and their  coach decide just to switch in Sydney.  As she runs onto the field and up to Alex there is an unusual section of cheering.  They both turn and see a few football players still in their practice clothes with their pads in a pile next time.  Dom is slapping his hand against his helmet and hollering for Sydney.  Alex notices Servando there along with a few others, but no Tobin.  He smiles at her and raises his hand just enough to wave in her direction.  The whistle blows and Alex looks away as the ball gets kicked high over her head.  The game ends and Servando and Dom are the only two still standing at the fence.  After their meeting and the coach congratulating them on pulling out the win in injury time Sydney loops her arm through Alex’s and pull her over to the fence where the boys are.

“Why do I have to come watch you make out with Dom?” Alex whines.

“Because _he_ ,” Sydney says, referring to Servando,  “is here for you.  I saw you guys dancing at the party.”

“We were with Ali and Ash,” Alex replies, still letting herself be pulled.

They get to the fence before she can respond.  Sydney leans up as Dom leans down and he kisses her lips quickly.  “You did great.  That last offside they called on you was total bull.”  Sydney smiles and pulls him down for another kiss.

“You did good too Alex.  That was a great goal right at the end.” Servando says, leaning over the fence, bending down so he’s almost level with Alex.

“Thanks Serv.”

“So are you going to be able to make it to our game tomorrow?” he asks hopeful.

“I don’t think so.  We have an away game and so do you guys.  I don’t really have a way to get there and it would be super late by the time I got there anyways.”

“Too bad but fair.  Will I see you at the party after?  I can give you a ride there when I get back if you need it.”

“Oh um,” Alex looks to Sydney for help but she’s talking to Dom. “I was going to hang out with some people before so I’ll probably just get a ride from one of them.  But I’ll see you there.”

“Maybe I can give you a ride home then?” he asks hopeful.

“Uh, yeah, maybe.  I’m not sure what I’m doing after just yet.”  Servando nods, smiling at Alex.  “Well I need to go shower and stuff.  I’ll see you guys tomorrow.  Good luck.  You coming Syd?”  Sydney groans and kisses Dom one last time before turning and walking with Alex back to the school.

“That boy is so into you.  And since when are we hanging out before the party?”

“When do we not hang out?” Alex questions back.

Sydney nods in agreement.  “Why don’t you like him?”

“It’s not that I don’t like him.  I just don’t know him.”

“Well it would help if you talked to him.”

“Maybe at the party, but don’t do anything,” Alex says pointedly. “I can handle this on my own.”

Sydney groans but accepts it as they walk into the locker room.  Alex heads to her locker and opens it looking around for a note but is disappointed.  “Hey Alex?” Megan asks, walking out of the showers wrapped in a towel.  “Any more cookies from out cheerleader?”

“Shut up, Pinoe.”

“Ouch. Touchy.”

~~~

Tobin is still upset the next day as she waits for the twins by their car after the final bell.  Dom walks over. “I know you’re still upset but you can’t let it affect your game.”

“I won’t.”

“You had some trouble at practice yesterday.”

“I’ll be fine Dom.”

“You dropped the ball twice.”

“Quit worrying.”

Connor and Austin walk up and they all hop in and head to the diner for a traditional pregame meal.  

~~~

The game is a bloodbath but Tobin comes out with two field goals and two extra points to help put the team ahead by six points.

She walks from the bus with Dom to their respective locker rooms.  “See you in a bit.”

Tobin heads into the locker room and looks at the soccer wall.  She finds Alex scored twice again so they are still tied.

She groans as she pulls all of her clothes off, her sore muscles protesting.  She puts the towel around her neck, not caring about being naked since it’s after 10pm and she’s the only one in the locker room.  She grabs her towel and walks to the showers.  Standing in the hot water and letting it relax her muscles, Tobin thought about the game, running through how she could have done better on a punt that lead to a touchdown for the other team.   

She gets out and dresses quickly before meeting Dom outside the door.  “Took you long enough.”

“Sorry I had your sweaty smell all over me and it took a while to get it off.”  Dom shoves her lightly as they walk outside.  They both get to their cars and Tobin looks over at him, “See you there?”

Dom nods and they both hop in to drive to the party, honking obnoxiously at each other.

~~~

Alex climbs out of Kelley’s car and heads to the door with her, Sydney and Lauren.  “Hey Syd.  Do you know how Dom and them did?” Alex asks.

“They won by 6,” Sydney responds. Alex nods as they head in and walk towards the kitchen.  Alex grabs a bottle of rum filling up half her cup before adding some coke.

The head to the living room when they all have their drinks and sit down on the empty couches.  They talk for a while until Dom comes in.  Sydney stands up and gives him a hug, “Hi baby.”

He gives her a kiss before sitting down and Sydney moves onto his lap.  She holds out her drink and he takes it from her, sipping at it.  Tobin walks by with Connor, smiling at Alex as she heads over to the pool table where a few more of her teammates are playing.  When Tobin sees Alex is still watching her, she uses her head to motion her over.

Before Alex can stand up, Servando, with his own drink, leans over the couch next to Alex, “Hey, Lex.” Alex’s smile falters slightly and she turns to face him.  

“Hey Servando.  How was your game?”

“Well we won, so that’s great and I did pretty good.  I ran for like a 100 yards and brought down a kid right before the end zone, so that was cool.”

Alex nods.  “That’s great.”

“Do you want to maybe go outside where it’s a little quieter?” he asks.  “So we can talk,” he adds when she doesn’t respond right away.

“Uh sure.”  She stands up and follows him outside, but not before glancing at the pool table and finding Tobin looking back at her, eyebrow raised.  Alex quickly turns her head back and walks through the door.  They head over to the swing set in the back of the yard and each sit on a swing.  “So what’s up?”

“Nothing.  I just wanted some alone time with you,” he replies sweetly.  “We haven’t had a chance to really talk.”

Alex smiles at him, “Well you have me all to yourself.”  Servando smiles back, reaching up and grabbing the swing chains above his head.  Alex stares at his toned arms for a second before refocusing on his face.  “So tell me about yourself.”

“Okay. Well I’m a senior and I play football, obviously. Um I lived in Mexico for a few years until we moved here when I was ten.  I have a dog who’s like my best friend in the world.  His name is Max, he’s seven, he slobbers like you wouldn’t believe but you get used to it.  Um what else?”

“What kind of dog is Max?” Alex asks, swinging lightly.

“Oh.  He’s a Mastiff.  He’s huge.  Weighs probably about 140.”

“Damn that is huge.”

“Yeah but he’s super chill and just wants to slobber all over you.  He’s actually been our team’s mascot for a while so you might have seen him at games last year.  My sister was a cheerleader and she brought him to games, she graduated when I was freshman so we had a year of overlap.  He had to get surgery last May and isn’t allowed to jump around so I haven’t been able to bring him to the past few but he should get the all clear pretty soon, so hopefully he will be back before the season is over.

Alex smiles listening to him talk so passionately about his dog.  “He sounds adorable.  Do you have pictures?”

“Oh no.  He is not adorable.” Servando reaches into his pocket for his phone.  “He is a very manly dog.  He’s fresh, suave, handsome even, but not adorable, no, not even a little.”  This causes Alex to laugh while Servando holds out his phone.  “There’s a few if you want to flip through.”

Alex flips through the pictures, most of them include both Servando and Max.  Max was a large mastiff with a brown and black pattern over his mostly grey coat.  Both of them laying on their backs with all their limbs straight up in the air.  A selfie of both of them laying on the couch together.  Them playing tug-a-war. One of Max taking up all of what Alex assumed to be Servando’s bed.  The last picture was of Max in Servando’s red football jersey.  

“You’re right.  He’s not adorable.” She chuckles before adding, “He’s precious.”

“Okay, nope.  See I was going to let you meet him but you’re going to put bows on him or something and he just doesn’t look good in pink.”

Alex starts laughing again, “and you know that how?”

“He was a cheerleading mascot for a while.  He has suffered enough.  I know that his true colors are red and blue.”

“Those _are_ good colors,” Alex compromises.  “Will I get to meet him when he’s allowed to come back?”

“Of course.”  Servando kicks at the ground for a bit.  “You could meet him before then though, you know, if you wanted.”

Alex smiles at his shyness, “Yeah. Sure.”  Servando’s head pops right up and he smiles at her.

He hands her back his phone, “Hey, why don’t you put your number in.”  Alex takes the phone and adds her number.

As she’s handing the phone back, Alex hears her name ring out, she looks up to see Kelley coming through the back door.  “There you are.  I’m heading out.  Do you still want the ride?”

Alex looks over at Servando, “No.  I think I’m good.  Thanks Kel.”  They both smile at each other before Alex looks back to Kelley who is quirking her eyebrow at her with a smirk on her face.

“Okay Alex.  See you Monday.”

“See you Monday, Kel.” They sit quietly for a few minutes after Kelley leaves.

“Hey, Alex?” he asks nervously

“Yeah Servando.”

“You can I just call me Serv if you want, but I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go get something to eat before I bring you home.  I’m pretty hungry.  If not you could just watch me eat. Or I can find something in the fridge here.  I guess I just was wondering if you’re hungry.”

Alex smiles at him rambling.  “I’m a little hungry.  Diner?”

“Of course.”  He stands up and holds his hand out for Alex.  She grabs it, he pulls her up but doesn’t let go of her hand once she’s up.  He twists his hand and slides his fingers through hers.

They walk around the house and he leads her to his car. The ride to the diner is silent except for the radio.  They walk in and are seated at a two person booth.  Alex stares at the menu but can feel Servando staring at her.  She decides what she wants and then looks up at Servando.  “What?”

Servando rubs his hands together. “Sorry.  So um tell me about yourself.”

The waiter comes over and takes their order before Alex can answer him.  Once he’s gone, she starts.

“Well I play soccer.  I have two sisters.  I have a cat but she’s not very friendly.  I also have a guinea pig but he’s not much fun to play with.  He just runs in circles and such.  I’m a sophomore.  I, uh, don’t really know what else to say.”

Servando smiles, “that sounds perfect for now.  Are you the oldest?”

“The youngest actually.”  

“Oh right.”

The make small talk until their food comes out.  Alex watches Servando devour his burger.  He pops a fry into his mouth when he’s done.  “Sorry.  That must have been super unattractive.  I was just really hungry.”

Alex shrugs.  “It was kinda gross but so is watching most guys eat.”  Alex takes a small bite of her wrap.  After chewing and swallowing she asks, “So do know where you want to go for college?”

“I’m getting scouted by a few so we’ll see what gives me the best outcome.  I’m really liking Berkeley’s program though.”

“Wow that’s cool.  Pretty far away though.  Can you handle going to the other side of the country?”

“It won’t be too bad.  There are phones and skype and such.  Football will be my family there.”

“Have you visited yet?”

“Yeah, last year, it was great.  The team was really cool and the campus was super nice.  I also looked at some schools on the east coast though and some are like an hour away so I have both options.”

Alex finishes her wrap as he talks more about where he has visited.  “How is it being a senior?  My sisters have told me both horror stories and how great it is.”  

“Well the applications and stuff are pretty hard and annoying but still it’s basically been like an entire party.”

“Sounds fun.”  The bill gets placed down.  

“Are you ready?”

Alex nods as Servando pulls out his wallet and throws some money down. They both stand up.

“Thanks.”  Servando smiles down at her and reaches for her hand.  Alex interlocks their fingers and they head through the door together.  Once they are at the car he opens the door for her and helps her in. They stare at each other for a few moments. He leans against the door frame and his eyes flicker down to her lips for a second before going back to her eyes.  Alex does the same.  He puts his hand on her cheek and slowly leans in.  “Serv,” Alex says softly as their lips connect.  Her hands run through his hair.  They break apart after a minute.  Servando looks down at his feet, smiling, before looking back up at her. “Hey Serv.  I need to get home.”

He pulls out his phone looking at the time, “Oh shit.  I didn’t realize how late it was.  Your parents are going to hate me before they even meet me.”

Alex shakes her head.  “I’ll tell them it was Kelley.  They could never hate her.”  Servando closes the door gently and walks around the car.  He hops in and starts it, turning to look at her.  She turns and looks back at him.  They stare at each other for a second before Alex asks, “What?”

“I, uh, don’t know where you live.”

Alex laughs.  “Oh right.  Um okay…”  Alex directs him to her house.  He pulls up and they both sit in the car.  “So um thanks. Again.”

“Yeah no problem.”  He leans towards her.  “I had fun tonight.”

“So did I.”  Alex leans in to.  Servando put his hand to her cheek and gently kisses her.  The kiss is short but still makes Alex smile as she opens the door.  “Bye Serv.”

“Bye Alex.”

Alex walks into the dark house and heads up to her room.  She pulls her phone out and looks at it to find many texts.

**Kel: So you and Servando huh?**

**Kel: I thought you didn’t like him.**

**Syd: Did you just leave with Serv?**

**Ash: Get it girl**

**Syd: I’ll take that as a yes**

Her phone vibrates in her hand before she can respond to any of them.

**Unknown Number: Hey I had fun tonight.  I actually have to go visit my grandma this weekend but I will see you Monday?**

Alex climbs into bed, ignoring all of the texts but the last one.

**Alex: I can’t wait**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warned you. Leave your respectful hate below and I'll talk to you in a few days :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back :D

After texting all weekend, Alex walks into school the Monday and heads in the direction of where Servando said his locker was.  She walks upstairs and down a hall before hearing her name.

“Alex?”  She turns around and sees Sydney standing in the hallway with Dom, Tobin a few lockers down stuffing her bag inside.  Alex walks over to them.  “What are you doing here?”  

“Hey, Tobin,” Alex says ignoring Syd.  

Tobin turns her head and smiles at Alex, giving a quick “hey” back before turning to her locker again.

“Al what are you doing up here?” Sydney asks, regaining her attention.

“I have friends besides you Syd.”

“Oh.  That’s who you’re here to see.  Servando.  So are you going to tell me what ended up happening Friday night when you just disappeared with him or are you going to continue to ignore me?”

Dom looks to Tobin right before she slams her locker shut.  The two other girls turn and stare at her back as she walks away.

“Fuck,” Dom mutters.  “Babe I gotta go.”

“What happened?” Sydney asks, her eyes still on Tobin.

“She’s just...upset about… stuff.  I need to go talk to her.”  He kisses her cheek and runs after Tobin.

“Do you think they were normal as sophomores and they just turned crazy over the summer?” Sydney asks.

“I don’t know Syd.  You’ve been dating Dom since May.”

“Just go find Serv before the bell.  I’ll see you at lunch.”

Alex continues walking when the warning bell rings, “Fuck.”  Alex pulls out her phone.

**Alex: Sorry.  I’m not going to make it to you before class.  I’ll see you after school**

Alex runs to the gym, getting in just as the bell rings.

~~~

Dom catches up to Tobin just as she walks into their class. “Dude slow down.”

“She’s dating Servando already.  I know I was being stupid but I almost thought she liked me back.  I don’t know.”

“You guys will still be able to talk.  You were prepared to be just friends last week.  Why has that changed?”

“It hasn’t but I don’t want to see her with someone else.  Before, even though it was never going to happen I still felt like I had a small chance.”  The bell rings and they step into the room.

“Tobs, it’s a crush.  I’ll find you the hottest chick and even Alex will be jealous.”

Tobin shakes her head with a slight smile, “You’re ridiculous.  Thanks”

~~~

Alex comes over to Tobin before practice holding the four stickers for Tobin’s wall.  “Are you okay?”

Tobin looks up at her, “Yeah sorry.  Just wasn’t in a great mood this morning.  Mondays an’ all”  She looks at Alex’s hand and smiles, “Those for me?”

Alex nods and leans over, across Tobin to put them up. ‘ _Be cool.  She’s dating Serv.  She’s straight.  She smells good. Fuck._ ’  Alex stands back up and smiles.  “We have a game today so I’ll see tomorrow.”

“Good luck.  Have lots of assists.”  Alex sticks her tongue out at Tobin before turning away to go get ready.  Tobin gets dressed and heads out to practice.  They end up having a scrimmage against JV so it’s a fun distracting practice.

~~~

On Thursday, Dom and Tobin stand along the sideline, squirting water into their mouths and breathing hard.  The shrill blow of their coach’s whistle makes their heads turn as he calls out what’s next.  “Punting. Both sides,” he shouts.  “Let’s go.  Kicking team to me.”

Dom pats her shoulder as she sets the water bottle down.  She grabs her helmet and jogs onto the field, towards the shouting voice.  

“Alright,” their coach says once the players are gathered around him.  “We’re going to work on the trick plays.”  He quickly goes over the plays for them and they line up.  They work through running plays first, Tobin either sliding to avoid getting tackled or just getting a shoved to end the play.

They then switch to passing plays which run a little less smoothly.

“Let’s go Tobin.  Find the opening and get the pass off.  That’s the third time they’ve gotten to you.”

They line up again and Tobin wipes her hands off on her shorts.  After checking that the players are lined up, she raises her knee twice to start the play and a second later the ball is in her hands.  

She brings the ball up, looking for someone to pass it to but her two receivers are both very well covered.  “Get the pass off,” she hears from behind her as she starts stepping to her left looking at the field in front of her.  

Tobin pulls her arm back slightly, about to throw it when she feels then hears the crunching of pads colliding behind her.  A moment later she hits the ground, the ball falling from her hands.  Tobin’s face is then pushed into the turf as players from both sides, diving onto the ball.  Once most of the bodies stand up, fingers grip her facemask and turn her head.  Tobin is then staring into the green eyes of Luke.  “If you want to play with men, little girl, you better learn to hold on to the ball.”

The whistle blows loudly next to them as Luke is pulled off of her. “What was that?” their coach shouts, walking over to Luke.

“It wasn’t hard.  She just needed to feel the pressure,” Luke responds as he sticks a hand out for Tobin.  She looks at it for a moment before taking it and allowing herself to be pulled up.

“I’m fine,” she says.

“Okay.  Let’s run it one more time and this time, Tobin, get the ball off.”

~~~

“Was that really a light hit?” Dom asks Tobin as they walk towards the school.

Tobin looks ahead to where Luke is laughing with Servando.  “Not really, but when are any of his hits in practice light.”

“I don’t get how he got captain,” Dom complains.

Tobin shrugs, “He’s good.”

“Yeah, but he’s not God.  Dude is a dickhead.”

Tobin nods in agreement.  “Just don’t hang out with him.”

“Easier said than done.  Now that Serv is dating Alex we’re probably going to end up in the same areas more.”  Tobin’s face slightly hardens as he continues.  “Like he walked over to the soccer game with us a few weeks ago and was just a dick.  He was saying stuff to Serv about how lucky he was and stuff.”

‘ _Well he is_.’ “What was Serv saying?” Tobin asks, trying to seem disinterested.

“He wasn’t really saying much.  But then one of them went down and after she got pulled off the field Luke, being the dick that he is, started dissing her and staying stuff about girls playing sports and Serv just laughed him off.”

Tobin shrugs, “I mean it’s not like he’s ever been happy that I beat him out.”

They walk the rest of the way up to the school in silence.  Dom holds out his hand, stopping her from turning to the locker room.  “Have you talked to Alex?”

Tobin shrugs, “Not really.”

“Do you think you ever will?” he asks.

Tobin shifts uncomfortably.  “And say what?”  She looks around to make sure they are alone.  “Dump him and date me.”

“Okay,” Dom concedes.  “Just think about it.”

~~~

Friday, Alex skips over to Tobin when she sees her walk into the cafeteria with Dom.  “Hey Tobin,” she smiles, “you know I’m winning right?”

Tobin laughs and turns to her while Dom gives her a look over Alex’s shoulder and heads to their table.  “Yes, Alex I know.”

“Okay.  Just wanted to make sure cause you’ve been kinda out of it this week.”

“Just wait until the game is over tonight and we’ll see where we stand,” Tobin replies.

“Do you really think you’re going to win?”

“No, but only because the scoring system is unfair in your favor.  I think I should get two points for field goals and-”

“What?” Alex interrupts.  “How would that be fair?”

“Well if you let me finish you would realize I had more to say.” Tobin stops and gives Alex a look until she smiles and nods for her to continue.  “Okay so field goal would be worth two, a goal would be worth two and an assist or extra point is worth one.”

Alex stands there for a second pondering.  “Okay yeah that might have made more sense but we already started it this way so I’m up by three.” She gives Tobin a wide smile.

Tobin shakes her head at the younger girl, “Ridiculously competitive aren’t we?”  Alex smiles and pats Tobin’s shoulder before walking away.  

Dom raises his eyebrows a few times at Tobin when she sits down.   “Shut up Dwyer.”

“Or what Heath?  Whatcha gonna do?”

“I’ll knock the British out of you.”  Dom cracks up loudly as does the rest of the table while Tobin stands up and bows.  

Alex watches from her table and smiles at Tobin.


	11. Chapter 11

The game starts off with a quick touchdown for the other team but they miss the extra point with a bad snap and Connor jumping up to block it.  After that the game slows down and neither team can get past the 50 until late in the second quarter.  The Patriots reach the 25 before getting a fourth down and Tobin trots out onto the field.  It sails easily through the cross bars for three points.  She kicks it off for the last play of the half.  

The second half both teams come out much stronger but still not a very action filled game.  The other team kicks a 20 yard field goal but only to have the Patriots score a touchdown against them on the next drive.  Tobin comes in to take the extra point and it flies over outstretched hands right through the goal posts.  Patriots up by one.

In the first drive of the fourth quarter the other team kicks another field goal making the score 12-10. ‘ _Fuck.  Come on just get me on the field and I’ll put it in_.’  Tobin gets her chance ten minutes later when she kicks a field goal of her own, putting them back up by 1.

With neither team getting close to scoring, this is how the game end.  After a long talk, both on the field then in the locker room, Tobin finally makes her way to the girls’ locker room.  She walks straight to her locker and starts undressing.  She is standing in just her bra and compression shorts, her hands reaching across her body to pull off her sports bra when she hears someone clear their throat behind her.  She turns around quickly, hands coming up to cover her torso and prepare for an attack.  She sees Alex sitting at her own locker staring at Tobin.

“Holy shit.”  Tobin puts her arms down that had gone up instinctively, “You scared me half to death.”

Alex grins, “Well maybe you should look somewhere other than the floor when walking into large rooms that could possibly hold other people.  And hey, I stopped you before you got naked.” _‘Oh my God.  I almost got naked in front of her._ ’

“That was probably more for your own benefit.”

“I was saving you from finding out I was in the room with you before you had no clothes on. I figured you being naked would have just fully killed you.”

Tobin thinks for a second, “Yeah probably.  Die half from fear, half from embarrassment.  I learned in math that two halves make a whole so I think that means I would be dead.  Good luck explaining that one to my mom.”

“Shut up.  Go shower.  I can smell you from here.”

“Why are you still here?”

“Waiting for Serv.  We’re going out after.”

“Oh.  Right.  Umm, about that, can we talk?”  Tobin asks, rubbing her hands together nervously.

“Sure,” Alex stands up and walks over, sitting down on the bench next to Tobin’s locker.  “What’s up?”

“I don’t know how to say this in a way where you won’t be upset, so I’m sorry.”

“Tobin just say it.  I know you aren’t a mean person.  It’s normally kind of funny when you try to be mean.”

“Yeah not so sure you will think that in a few minutes,” Tobin mumbles while getting her clothes out for after her shower so she doesn’t have to look at Alex.  

“What?”

“Nothing.  So um... I don’t…ugh…I don’t really think you and Servando make a good couple.”

It takes Alex a few moments to realize what Tobin just said to her and then another few to realize she isn’t kidding.  “What?  Why?”

“He’s not good enough for you.” Tobin says, not sugarcoating it.

“What does that even mean?” ‘ _What the hell?_ ’

“Alex, you just met him.  I’ve known him for over two years.  He hangs out with a bunch of jerks and he never dates anyone for very long. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

“He’s not trying to hurt me.  He’s actually been really sweet.”  Alex’s voice gets a little louder.

“You don’t know him though,” Tobin’s voice rises as well.  “He-”

“I do actually.  I don’t know where you think you have a right in saying who I date but you don’t.”

“Alex-” Tobin cuts herself off and takes a deep breath, recollecting her thoughts and calming herself.  Her voice going back to its normal volume, she continues, “Alex, I am just trying to look out for you.  He can be a dick sometimes.  People don’t change that quickly.  He’s putting on an act.  I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“What the actual fuck, Tobin? Do you think I can’t judge a person on my own?”

Tobin runs her hand through her sweaty hair.  “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m trying to warn you.  I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Thanks but no thanks. I think I can decide who I date on my own.”  Alex walks over to her bag, bringing it up to her shoulder.  She storms back over to Tobin, holding out her hand.  Tobin reaches out her hand as well, confused.  Alex takes it with her other hand and turns Tobin’s palm up.  She then drops some papers into it.  Tobin looks down at it, two footballs and a helmet.  She looks back up but all she hears is the door opening and then slamming shut.

Tobin falls back into her locker and rests her head against the side.  After a minute she pulls out her phone.

**Tobs: So I told her not to date Serv.  Didn’t go so well**

Tobin pulls some athletic tape out of her bag and rips off three small pieces.  She attaches them to the backs of the cutouts before putting them up on with the rest of them.  She hears her phone vibrate on the bench in front of her.  She grabs it, seeing the text is from Dom.

**DD: I’m sorry Tobs.  Want me to kick his ass?**

Tobin chuckles before typing out a response.

**Tobs: Yes, but that’s just on a general basis. It wouldn’t help though.   What would you say if I told you I wanted to get drunk?**

Tobin puts her phone down, finishes undressing and heads towards the shower.  After a long hot shower, she heads to her locker.  She pulls on some sweats and grabs her phone, looking at the messages.

**DD: What? No**

**DD: Dude what’s wrong?**

**DD: Tobin. Answer me!**

**DD: Are you still at school?**

**DD: Okay your car is still here**

**DD: I will walk into that locker room if you don’t respond soon**

**DD: I’m coming in.  Please be dressed!**

**DD: Okay you’re in the shower.  I’m sitting in the gym when you’re ready**

Tobin smiles and finishes getting ready quickly before walking out to the gym.  Dom stands up as soon as he sees her and walks over holding his arms out.  Tobin wraps her arms around him tightly and lets him hold her.  After a minute they break apart and Dom looks at her.

“So do you really want to get drunk?”  Dom asks seriously. “Because if you do I will drive you home or you can come to my house and we’ll play video games and drink.”

Tobin shakes her head.  “I kind of just want to be alone. Go to the party.  I’ll see you Monday?”

Dom looks Tobin over once more. “Text me if you need anything.  I mean it Tobin.  I don’t mind tears.”  Tobin smiles, followed by Dom smiling back.  “There’s that smile.  I’ll see you later.  Brilliant game today.”

“Thanks man, you too.” Tobin sits on the bleachers as Dom walks out.  

~~~

Alex storms out of the locker room, letting the door slam shut behind her.  She quickly pulls out her phone.

**Lex: Hey, you almost ready?  I’m hungry**

It takes less than thirty seconds before her phone vibrates with a response.

**Serv: Give me like two minutes.  Just getting dressed**

Alex smiles slightly at her phone and heads towards the boys’ locker room door, sitting in the seats next to it.  Before she knows it the door bursts open and out walks Servando.  He spots her and walks over, giving her a soft kiss, his hand running down her side and landing on her back.  She pulls his hand away from her back and takes the fingers between hers.  She starts leading him towards the door.

Servando chuckles, “What’s the rush?”

“I just want to get out of here.”

“True that.  Come on pretty lady, let’s get some grub.”

They walk to his car, climbing in.  Alex plays with the hem of her shorts while Servando drives them to a pizza place a mile away from school.  He pulls into a parking spot, his hand going to the door handle, looking over at Alex.  He stops when he notices she hasn’t moved.  “Hey,” he calls out to get her attention.  

Alex looks up, noticing they had arrived, “Oh, sorry.”

They both get out and walk to the front of the car, joining their hands again.  “What’s wrong,” he asks as they walk in. Alex shakes her head as they get to the counter.  She orders two slices of mushroom pizza before heading to a table.  Servando watches her for a second before ordering his own.  After paying he follows her to a table and sits next to her, putting his arm around his shoulder.  

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I just got in a fight with someone.”

“Like a physical fight?  Are you okay?”

Alex shakes her head, “No.  It was verbal. I’m just upset.  I thought she was my friend,” mumbling the last part.

“Who was it?”

Alex sits quiet for thirty seconds before softly whispering, “Tobin.”

Their order is called and Servando gets up to grab their food.  When he comes back he sits across from her and takes a bite of his first slice before asking, “So why are you and Tobin fighting?”

Alex plays with the edge of the paper plate in front of her. “She just said some mean things.”

“What did she say?  Do you want me to talk to her?”

Alex’s head shoots up and she responds a little too quickly and forcefully, “No.”

Servando studies her for a second, “What did she say Alex?”

“Nothing important.  It was all dumb.”  Servando raises his eyebrow at her, waiting for her to speak more.  “She just said some not so nice things about you.”

“Wait what? About me?”  Alex nods, suddenly not wanting the mushrooms and pulling them off her pizza.  “What did she say?”

“Does it matter?  She was just being mean.  She doesn’t have a right to tell me I should break up with you?”

Servando stops chewing and clenches his jaw.  “She told you to break up with me?”  Alex shrugs, still fascinated with the mushrooms.  Servando reaches over and stops her, causing Alex to look up. “She’s probably just jealous.”

“Why would she be jealous?”

“Because you’re dating me,” he responds like it’s obvious.

“She’s still my friend.  We just had a fight.  Also I don’t think she likes you very much, so I don’t really think she would be jealous of me for dating you.”

Servando groans, ‘ _I’m not who she likes in this relationship_ ,’ “She’s probably just jealous that you spend time with me and not her and that we are in a happy relationship.  She just wants what we have.”

Alex nods unenthusiastically, finally picking up her de-mushroomed pizza and taking a bite.  They finish their meal in silence, Alex adding the mushrooms back to her second slice of pizza.  Once they are back in the car, Servando turns to her, “Can we stop at the party real quick before I drop you off?”  Alex shrugs and starts fiddling with the radio dial.

Servando drives slightly faster than normal to the party, stopping in front of the driveway, before throwing the car into park.  He gets out and walks around to Alex.  They head in together and head straight to the backyard.  Alex sees her friends sitting around a fire pit with a few people she recognizes as seniors but doesn’t know.  They walk over and Servando kisses Alex before telling her he’ll be back.  She watches him walk over to where some of the football players are and then heading inside a moment later.  

Alex rests her head against Abby.  The older girl looks down, “What’s wrong kid?”  Alex shakes her head and continues leaning against Abby.  After watching her for thirty seconds Abby thinks she can see tears forming in Alex’s eyes.  She stands the younger girl up and leads her to a quieter corner of the backyard, making sure Alex is facing away from everyone else.  “Alex, what happened?” Abby asks with concern.

Alex looks into Abby’s eyes and feels compelled to tell her. “We got in a fight,” she responds quietly.

“What happened?  Do I need to get Hope?  We’ll go kick his ass.” Abby starts looking around the yard.

Alex shakes her head, “No. Not Serv.  Me and Tobin.”  Abby looks back down at the younger girl.

“What was it about?’

After looking around the backyard for a few moments, she responds, “She was just telling me I shouldn’t date Serv and a bunch of other crap.”

Abby smiles but quickly wipes it off her face.  “Why do you think she would tell you that if she didn’t seriously believe it?”  Alex shrugs her shoulders, and turns to look at the yard behind her.  Servando was walking out of the house and heading to the circle of soccer players.  She watches him talk to Dom, who had just joined the circle.  Dom stands up and leads him away from the group.  Abby waves her hand in front of Alex’s face. “Al?  Why would Tobin try to break you guys up unless she thinks it’s for the best?”

Alex turns back around. “Serv said she’s probably just jealous that I don’t spend as much time with her anymore.  Or maybe that I’m in a relationship and she’s not.  I don’t know, but either way, she doesn’t have a right to say what she said.  She knows him through football.  Football is a rough sport and they both are fighting for the same spot.  That is bound to lead to tension from both sides.  I know him outside of football.  He’s not the person she was describing.”

Alex turns her head back around and sees Servando talking on the phone with his back to her.  She looks back over to her friends and sees Sydney and Kelley looking at her suspiciously.  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Abby nods and the two head back to the fire. Sydney looks across the circle, mouthing ‘Are you okay?’  Alex nods, non committedly.

Servando wraps his arms around her before Sydney can react.  “You ready?” his voice having a harder edge to it then normal.  Alex stands up, waving to everyone, and heading out with him.


	12. Chapter 12

Tobin walks out onto the dark field, dropping her bag next to the player’s bench.  She squeezes her foam football as she heads to the center of the field, sitting down once she gets there.  She puts the ball behind her head and lays down, closing her eyes.  She’s not sure how long it has been but she sits up after a particularly strong, cold gust of wind causes her to shiver.  She stands up and heads over to her bag and pulls her car keys out.  

She tosses her bag onto the passenger seat next to her, along with the plate of brownies.  She sits in the front seat for a while, not bothering to turn her car on, her head resting on the steering wheel.  ‘ _Okay, enough of the pity party.  Alex is dating him and I can’t change that._ ’ Tobin starts her car and drives home, not feeling any better but trying to at least trick herself into believing it.

While climbing into bed she looks at her phone.  A few texts, two missed calls, and a voicemail.  ‘ _Who called me?_ ’

Without seeing who it was from she calls her voicemail and enters her password.  Her confusion turning to anger when she hears the gruff, angry voice.

“Look, Tobin.   Alex told me what you said.  I understand that you’re into her or whatever but she’s dating me.  She’s choosing me and you need to accept that.  I don’t mind you being friends with her but I don’t want to worry about you continually trying to break us up so please stop.  I didn’t tell her why you wanted us to break up and I won’t but she’s going to figure it out eventually.”

Tobin zones out as the message continues.   Long after Servando’s voice stops speaking through her phone, she finally pulls the phone away from her ear.  She looks down and sees that she still has unread texts.

**DD:  Hey don’t forget what I said.  Call me if you need anything.**

**DD: Just a heads up, Serv is looking for you.  He doesn’t seem happy. Alex told him**

Tobin’s fingers hover over the keypad to send a response.  She can’t think of anything to say so she just exits out of the text and goes to the next one.

**Servando Carrasco: Where are you?**

**Servando Carrasco: We need to talk**

**Servando Carrasco: Pick up your phone**

Tobin plugs her phone in and turns it off.  She rolls over and tries to get some sleep. It feels like five minutes later when she hears a knock on her bedroom door.  Tobin groans, pulling a pillow over her head as the sunlight blinds her.  

“Tobin, honey, Dom is here to see you.  You should get out of bed soon anyways, it’s almost noon.”  Tobin groans again but sits up.  A minute later there is another knock on the door.

“Come in Dom.”  The door slowly opens and Dom’s head appears around the door frame.  He looks at her skeptically for a second before entering the room fully and closing the door behind him.

“You do understand the point of having a cell phone is so that I can communicate with you, right?  You turning it off makes it hard for me to do that.” He walks over to where her phone is plugged in and turns it on.  “Go get dressed.  We’re hanging out.”

Tobin groans again, but grabs some clothes and heads to the bathroom.  Dom unlocks her phone, going to her games section, looking for something to play.

Her phone starts to vibrate, with texts coming in from the past twelve hours.  Figuring all of them are from him he ignores it as he opens Two Dots.

While waiting for it to load he notices a message that he didn’t send come across the top.  He quickly exits out of the game and goes to her texts.  Most of them are from him but there is one unread message from Servando.

**Servando Carrasco: You can’t hide from me forever.  Just stay away from our relationship!**

Dom looks at the texts Tobin had received the previous night until Tobin came back into the room.  

“What are we doing?”

Dom looks up, staring at her for a second before standing up.  “Well first I’m going to kick Servando’s fucking ass.”  Tobin notices her phone in Dom’s hand.  

“Dom just drop it.  He has every right to be angry.  What if I said the stuff I said to Alex to Sydney about you?”

“That’s different.  He’s actually a dick so it would be a lie if you told Syd.”  Dom hands over her phone.  “Did he leave you a voicemail last night?”  Tobin nods while she slips her phone into her pocket and grabs a sweatshirt.  “Can I hear it?”

“No Dom.  It was stupid.  It will just make you more upset.  Can we just play video games all day?” Dom stares at his best friend, trying to gauge her emotions and nodding after a few seconds.

“If you want me to crush you, who am I to not give you a total smackdown.”  Dom grins widely, putting his arm around her. “Let’s go young-in.”

“You do know I’m older than you right?”

“Yeah but my height gives me the right to call you young-in.”  Tobin shoves him and they head downstairs to where the Play Station is set up.

~~~

Tobin walks into school just as the warning bell rings.  Dom leans over once she sits down in class.  “Cutting it pretty close there, buddy.”  Tobin shrugs and pulls out her notebook.  “Syd says Alex has been upset since your talk,” Dom continues.  “I don’t think she would be that upset if she didn’t somewhat believe it.”

Tobin looks around, seeing everyone is distracted, before responding.  “I don’t know.  She seemed pretty adamant that I was wrong.”

Dom shakes his head, “That was in the moment.  Have you tried talking to her since?”

Tobin shakes her head as the teacher starts.  “Well maybe you should,” Dom whispers, before turning towards the front of the class.

~~~

Tobin walks out of woodshop with Dom, clutching the wooden box she had just finished.  “Do you think it’s stupid?  Especially because we’re fighting now.”

Dom shakes his head, “No, I don’t but if you don’t want it I’ll take it.  Syd would love it.”  Tobin shakes her head and traces the carved lines over the surface.

They walk into lunch, Dom giving her shoulder a squeeze before he heads for their usual table, stopping quickly to say hi to Sydney and give her a kiss.  Tobin slowly follows behind, not reaching the soccer players until Dom has walked away.  She stands behind Alex, playing with the box in her hand.  Sydney clears her throat, causing Alex to look up, first at Sydney, then, noticing everyone looking behind her, turning around to look at Tobin.  Tobin looks at Alex hopeful, not really sure where to start.  Alex turns back around and continues eating her grapes while looking over her chemistry notes.  Sydney glares at Alex, who doesn’t look up but can feel the harsh stare.

Tobin takes a deep breath.  “Alex, can we uh… talk?” she asks nervously.

“No,” Alex replies as she flips the page in her notes, her voice hard.  “I think you made your opinion pretty clear."

Tobin stares down at the wooden box in her hands.  She reaches around Alex, placing it down on a blank spot on the table.  “I was just going to say I’m sorry.  So, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”  She takes a step back, addressing the whole table,  “Good luck at your game today guys,” and with that she turns around and heads over to her table.  Alex doesn’t turn her head but looks at the box through her peripheral.

After a minute, she finally reaches for the circular box.  Her fingers immediately start tracing the lines of the soccer ball stitches carved into the lid.  She opens it gently and sees a napkin lining the bottom, with a cookie resting in the center.  She puts the lid down on the table and then sees something burned into it.  She turns it and sees that it is her name, written in cursive and burned into the wood.  The black lettering staining the light colored wood.  Alex smiles softly looking over at the table where Tobin sits.  Her back is towards Alex, her shoulders slumped and her head turned down towards the table.  Alex turns back around and sees the rest of the table staring at her expectantly.  

“What?” she asks looking from face to face.

“Are you going to go talk to her?” Lauren asks gently.

Alex looks towards Tobin, staring at the slumped shoulders once more.  “I don’t know.  It’s just a cookie.  She probably had someone else make it for her.”

“What about the box?  Pretty sure she made that and it’s not something she just whittled today.  Also I’ll take the cookie if you don’t want it,” Kelley adds.

Alex flips the lid over and looks at the soccer ball carved into to top once more.  The slight imperfections tell her Tobin made it.  She stands up and turns towards Tobin, walking up behind her.  “Tobin?” Tobin freezes, her sandwich half way between her mouth and the table, her mouth half open.  Everyone else at the table looks over at the two, Dom quickly elbows her, to get her to react.  “You said you wanted to talk.” She puts her food down and stands up, not able to meet Alex’s eyes.

“Um…yeah…uh, can we go over there?” Tobin gestures to an empty table in the corner.  Alex nods and starts walking over.  Tobin follows with her hands buried deep in her pockets.  Alex sits down and Tobin sits down next to her.  Alex looks over at her expectantly.  Tobin rubs her hands on her legs, drying off her clammy palms. “I really am sorry Alex.  I didn’t want to start something, I swear.  I just wanted to warn you, ya know.”

“Wait are you not going to apologize for what you said?”

“I regret the way I said it but I’m not going to take any of it back.  Alex, he might be really nice to you right now but it’s..,” Tobin takes a deep breath.  “Never mind.  I have a different perception of him then you do.”

“Well I agree with that,” Alex says harshly.

“I really was-am, just trying to look out for you.  I don’t want to lose you... as a friend.”

“You can’t say something like that again Tobin.  He’s my boyfriend.  I don’t get what you have against him, especially since you have the starting spot, but if you want to be friends you need to respect the fact that I am dating him.”

Tobin hums in response, playing with the ring on her finger.  “I can’t pretend to be friends with him though.”

“Then don’t.  He’s going to be part of my life and if you also want to be then you need to be able to deal with that.”

“I can try.  I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

“I’m a big girl.  I can take care of myself.”  Tobin nods, giving Alex a small, sad smile.   Alex stands up “Thanks for the cookie and the box by the way.  Did you really make that by yourself?”  Tobin nods.  “How long did that take you?”

“Um… Well the box wasn’t hard. That took about a week because I had to wait for the glue to dry and stuff.  I decided to make it a soccer ball once that was finished so I had to make a new lid and the carving and filing took about a week.  I finished last week but the stain needed to dry.”

“It’s really good.”  Tobin shrugs.  “It is.  Thank you.”

Tobin sticks her hands in her pockets.  “It was nothing.  I got an A on it.”

Alex smiles.  “I’ll see you later.”  Tobin nods and watches her head back to her table.  She then gets up too, moving to her own table.

“How’d it go?” Dom asks when she sits down.

“Well she doesn’t hate me, but more than that, not so sure.”  Dom pats her on the back and turns to look over at his girlfriend’s table.  He doesn’t see anything more than them talking so he turns his attention to Ryan next to him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short update, next one Tuesday or Wednesday

Alex nods to Tobin when she catches her staring in the locker room, but makes no attempt to start a conversation.  She says thank you when Tobin wishes her good luck, as Alex walks by to walk to the bus with her teammates.

~~~

On Tuesday, when Tobin walks into the locker room, she notices Alex scored once.  She looks over to Alex’s locker once she is done changing and sees the younger girl tying her shoes.  Tobin walks over.  “Is our bet still on?”

Alex looks up, staring at Tobin for a second before looking back at her shoes. “Whatever…if you want I guess.”

Tobin smiles, “Well you started slacking.  I might have a chance to win.”

Alex shakes her head, trying to hide a small smile on her face. “Just giving you a chance to catch up.”

“Sure Morgan.”  There’s a loud bang on the locker room door.

“Tobin. Let’s go.  We’re going to have to run laps if you don’t get out here soon.”

“Shit.  COMING.  Bye Alex.”

Tobin runs out of the room while Alex grabs her bag and pulls out her pink pre-wrap.

~~~

On Friday night, Tobin pushes everything from her mind and focuses on the game.  She doesn’t look into the stands once before the game starts to try and find Alex like she has the past few weeks.

Tobin comes in towards the end of the fourth to punt the ball, sending it far to the other end of the field.  She smiles as she sees two of her teammates going in for the tackle close to where the ball is coming down.  She then sees them both run into each other as the other team’s player side steps them and start running up the field. ‘ _Fuck_ ’ she takes a few steps over, lining herself up to bring the guy down if he reaches her.  No one’s able to get close as blockers take them down.  It is eventually just Tobin and the runner.  She charges at him and grabs around his torso, punching the ball out and bringing him down.  She scrambles for the ball  a few feet away and lands on top of it as she feels a few bodies land on top of her.  A pain shoots up her left arm to her shoulder.

The whistle blows and the guys on top of her slowly climb off.  She stands up and tosses the ball to the ref as her team pats her on the back. She head over to the sidelines rubbing her arm.  Dom heads over to her “You okay?”

Tobin nods forcefully.  “As long as we win this I will be.”  

“Then I will win it for you my liege.”  Tobin smiles and shoves him onto the field.

“Get out there loser.” She slaps his butt and groans grabbing her arm again.  She turns to look in the stands for the first time and immediately finds Alex but her eyes are on the field.

~~~

They walk back to the school and trudge to the locker room.  “You’re coming to the party right?” Matt asks Tobin.

“I don’t think so.  I’m probably just going to go home and ice my shoulder.

“Ugh fine.  Good game today Tobs.”

“Thanks Matt, you too.”

~~~

Alex sees Dom walk into the party, wondering where Tobin is.  The kicker soon leaves her mind as Servando walks over to her, pulling her into him and pressing a kiss to her lips.  “Hey babe,” he says wrapping her in his arms.

Alex pulls back slightly, needing a little bit of space before asking, “Wanna dance?”

Servando nods quickly and they walk to the room where the music is blasting.  He puts his hands on her waist as they start moving together.  

Sydney and Dom end up next to them as they all dance.

~~~

Alex walks towards Servando’s locker but stops to say hi to Sydney and Dom.  She notices Tobin behind them.  “Hey Tobin.  You had a good game.  Looks like we’re tied again.”

“Yeah well I’m good like that.”  Tobin states, glancing over her shoulder briefly as she stuffs a book into her bag.  She closes her locker and turns to Alex with a large grin.  Alex then notices that her arm is in a sling.

“What happened?”  

“It just popped out.  I’ll be out of this soon and I can take kicks with my arm like this, just no punts or tackles, yet.”

~~~

Tobin walks out of physics, ready for practice, and turns towards the gym.  “Hey Tobin,” Dom calls out.  She stops and waits for him to catch up.  “Hold on. I gotta go grab some stuff from my locker.  Come with me?”  Tobin nods and follows him.  “Are you going to be allowed to practice?”

“Yeah, just no pads and no tackle.  But I was going to do cardio anyways.  It’s just going to be a lot of biking and legs this week.”  

Dom nods, opening his locker.  He pulls out his gym bag and a few books.  “Let’s go Tobs.”

They walk towards the locker rooms.  Dom is looking down at his phone when he feels Tobin stop next to him.  He looks over at her and sees her staring straight in front of her.  He looks up and sees Alex leaning back against a locker with Servando leaning over her.  Alex has her fingers hooked through Servando’s belt loops.  They’re talking in whispers, both with big smiles on their faces.  Servando leans down pressing his lips against hers.  Dom coughs loudly causing the two of them to break apart.  “Let’s go Serv.  Practice.”

“I’ll be there in a bit Dom.  I have time.” His eyes flick to Tobin and hold on her for a moment before leaning back down to Alex.  Tobin storms by them and heads to the locker room.  Dom follows her but heads into his own locker room.

Tobin carefully undoes her sling and pulls her t-shirt off with some effort.  She puts the sling back on deciding to just do practice in the compression shirt she’s already wearing since putting a shirt on would be more hassle than it’s worth.  She’ll be alone in the cardio room anyways.  She slips out of her jean shorts and puts running shorts on with only some difficulty.  She then pulls her shoes on but can’t tie them with one arm.  ‘ _Ugh I’ll just get one of them to do it._ ’  She stands up and heads for the door, water bottle in hand.  She turns the corner and almost runs into Alex.  “Oh sorry Tobin.  I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s okay.  I’m pretty good at being invisible.”  Tobin says harshly as she pushes by Alex with her good arm.

“Wait.  Tobin,” Alex calls.  “Your shoes are untied. Tobin?”  Tobin keeps walking out the door.  “What the fuck?” Alex walks farther into the locker room and goes over to Tobin’s locker.  She pulls out a tiny helmet and two footballs and tapes them into Tobin’s locker.  She then walks away towards her own locker and quickly gets changed.

~~~

Tobin heads to the cardio room, after having, Dawn, the athletic trainer tie her shoes and repeatedly tell her to be careful, and starts doing squats immediately after putting a weight belt on.

She ignores Alex the next few days.  Barely looking at her when she passes her in the locker room or at lunch.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's a present for those of you taking finals :D Hope that's going well for you

Tobin walks into the locker room to put her bag down on Friday.  She glances over at the soccer players that are changing, not paying her any mind.  She quickly walks out and sits on the bleachers in the gym, playing on her phone until Jason walks out to get her for the pregame meeting.  

Tobin stands in the back as their coach goes over the game plan one last time.  Her eyes quickly find Servando who is standing between his two best friends, Adam and Luke. She watch them elbow each other until the all head out for warm ups.  Tobin walks with Dom and Matt until they reach the painted lines of the field.  She lets them pass by her and walks to bench, sitting down.

~~~

The game is an easy win for the Patriots and as painful as it is for Tobin not to be suited up she is happy for her teammates.  She throws her right arm over Dom’s shoulder, bringing him down to her level and rubbing his head with her knuckles.  “That was amazing, D,” she tells him.  “Two touchdowns and that diving catch.  Dude, you’re getting laid tonight.”

Dom starts laughing and shoves her.  “Tell Syd that.”  Tobin nods and turns towards the stands searching out his girlfriend.  Her eyes find Alex first, standing in front of Servando with their hands connected.   Alex moves to her tiptoes and Tobin looks on through the crowd of people, watching the girl she likes kiss the person who played her position tonight.

Tobin finally looks away when Jason walks up to her and blocks her view.  She notices Dom is no longer next to her as she looks up to Jason’s face.  “What’s up, Jas?”

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing.  You were standing here looking off into space.  Is it cause you couldn’t play?”

Tobin nods, “Yeah that must be it.  Come on dude.”  She pats his padded shoulder.  “Let’s go.”  She leads him to the far opening through the fence to avoid Alex and Servando.

~~~

Tobin walks into Matt’s house with Jason, heading straight down to the basement.  They walk to the foosball table in the corner and start playing.  “Hey, Tobin?”

“Yeah, bud.”  She flicks her wrist, sending the ball past his men and into the goal.  She then throws her arms up in the air. “GOAL.”

He groans and fishes the ball out of the goal, putting it back into play.  “Why did you join the football team?”

Tobin looks up, her grips on the handles loosening.  “You want me to quit or something?”

“No, no, no.” He quickly backtracks.  “I just meant you’re a lot smaller then most of the guys trying to flatten you.  If I was your size, I don’t think I would enjoy it as much.”

“You worried I’m going to get hurt again?”

He shrugs his shoulders and turns his focus back to the game so Tobin does as well.  “I mean I don’t want you to get hurt but I think this is the first time it’s ever been serious enough for you to have to miss a game.”  The ball bounces into the corner, getting stuck, so he shakes the table to free it.  “I just was wondering what made you want to try football.  You were good, well you still are but I mean your freshman year you were surprisingly good.”  Tobin smiles up at him for a second before returning to the game in front of them.  “When you got moved up to varsity I remember hearing the guys in the locker room calling you a bunch of names.  I don’t know if they said them on the field to you or anything.”  He pauses, looking up at Tobin a slight shimmer of hope in his eyes.

The pause is long enough for Tobin to look up too and answer.  “It wasn’t just in the locker room.”

Jason’s face falls but he continues.  “I watched your first game with the rest of JV and I saw the lines go a little soft whenever you came in.  You got tackled so many times.  I stayed late for some reason after your first game and I saw you after. You didn’t have your pads on and you had bruises everywhere.  You were limping and I just expected you not to show up to the next practice.”

Tobin smiles sadly to herself as she remembers crying as soon as she got into her mom’s car that first night, saying how badly she wanted to quit.  Her mom had supported her decision but come Monday morning she packed her bag of clothes for practice, making sure to pack a long sleeve and sweatpants to hide the bruises.

“Then you were back and I still don’t get why.”

Tobin smirks, “I came back because why should those douche bags get a say in what I do.  If they wanted to blow their chances at winning then I would get hit a lot.  It took them two or three games but they realized that if I don’t score the extra points and the field goals those are wasted points.  Also I love shaking hands with the other team after a win because their faces are priceless.”

“I should have stood up for you.” He spins his front line of guys quickly but the ball hits one of Tobin’s defenders and bounces back.

“What were you going to do?  It’s not like you could come onto the field and protect me.  I can protect myself.”

“I know you can but a team sticks together.”

“And you do stick with me.  You guys have my back just like I have yours.  Jas, seriously, don’t worry about it.”  

They’re silent for a few minutes, focusing on the game in front of them.

After Tobin scores he looks up at her.  “How’s your shoulder feel?”

“It’s a little stiff when I don’t move it for a while but it feels fine.”  Tobin looks up as the basement door opens and a few party goers wander down.  Even more people start wandering down as they start a second game with Tobin after winning the first.  Ryan wanders over to them, drink in hand.

“Either of you want to play beer pong?  Matt bailed on me.” He looks between the two waiting for an answer.  

Tobin shakes her head but Jason nods, “Give me five minutes so I can try to beat her.”

Ryan nods a smile growing, “Wants some help?”

“Woah. No fair,” Tobin complains.  “Two v one not cool.”

“‘Fraid you can’t win?” Ryan taunts.

Tobin stares at them grumbling to herself.  “Fine.”  The two boys quickly go up by five points before Tobin is able to gain some semblance of control.  She is able to get a few points but the game ends ten to four.  Ryan and Jason slap hands.  “Go play your pong.  I’m probably going to head out soon anyways.”

Ryan and Jason share a look before stepping around the table.  Jason blocks her escape while Ryan grips her around the waist and tosses her over his shoulder.”

“Ugh,” Tobin groans.  “You guys really need to stop doing this.”

“You don’t get to leave yet,” Jason states as he follows Ryan up the stairs, looking into her eyes with a devilish grin.

“Yeah.  You haven’t hung out with us in a while.  Even if you’re not going to play come hang out with us,” Ryan adds.  

“Fine,” Tobin gives in, “one game, then I want to go to home.”

Ryan sets her down before they reach the kitchen and she walks in with them.  She moves to the fridge, pulling a soda out before walking to the table where the game has been set up.

Ryan and Jason are standing on one end facing her.  Tobin walks to them, not paying attention to the other people around the table.  When she gets to the chairs that have been pushed against the far wall, she sits down and looks up.  ‘ _Of course_.’  Servando stands on the opposite side of the table with Luke each holding a ball out, ready to throw.  Luke tosses his first, hitting it against the rim of a cup and sending it bouncing along the table.  Servando then throws his ball, sinking it in the front most cup.  

He raises his hands in triumph and turns to Luke, slapping their hands together.  He then turns and Tobin notices Alex standing on the side of his table.  He moves towards her and gives her a quick kiss.  She smiles up at him and then steps back next to Kelley.

Tobin watches Alex lean over and talk to Kelley for a moment before she pushes up on her own chair and moves to her feet.  She slips into the living room without being noticed, heading to the front door.  Unfortunately, she passes Dom who stops her along with Sydney.  

“You leaving already?” he calls out over the music.  

Tobin nods.  Dom turns his head towards the kitchen, easily able to see Servando standing behind a pyramid of cups through the large entryway.  He turns back to Tobin, his face hardening.  “Did he say something to you?”

Tobin shakes her head.  “I just need to get out of here.”  She continues moving towards the front door and disappearing around it.  

Sydney pulls on Dom’s arm and leads him outside to a quiet section of the yard.  “Her crush isn’t going away anytime soon is it?”

“You know?” Dom asks surprised.

“Of course I know.  You’d have to be an idiot to not know,” Sydney pauses, mouth open.  “I guess Alex is an idiot for not noticing.”

“I don’t really know how to help her.  I think it’s her first real crush and she has to see them all the time because of football.”

“Well if it helps I don’t think Alex is all that into Serv.”

“She seems pretty into him.”

Sydney shakes her head.  “She doesn’t talk about him ever and when they kiss she is always the one to pull away first.  She probably thinks this is what a relationship is like.”

“Are you saying she likes Tobin?”

Sydney shrugs. “I mean she stares at her a lot but I always thought she was straight.  She might not want to date a girl or doesn’t think and that’s why she’s dating Serv.”

Dom puffs up his cheeks then lets out a breath.  “Leave it to us to have both our best friends crushing on each other but not doing anything.”

Sydney places her hand on his chest and moves it up to his shoulder.  “Can we go dance?”  She closes the already small gap between them.  “You are really hot when you play and you scoring... makes me hot.”

Dom shifts his feet.  “You sure you want to dance?”

“I never said where,” Sydney whispers, her lips brushing against his jaw.  She glances down between them.  “Well hello.”

~~~

Tobin walks into the training room Tuesday with a huge smile.  “Dawn,” she exclaims, raising her arms high into the air.  “I’m ready to be cleared.”  She waves a piece of paper in the air and sets it on the small desk inside the office.

The older woman laughs, “Well let’s see.”  She looks over the doctor’s note.  “Alright, you’re good to go.  How’s it feeling?”

“It feels fine,” Tobin says, pumping her arms in the air to prove it.

“Okay,” Dawn responds, taking Tobin’s arm and pulling lightly on it.  “Just promise me you’ll take it easy.”

Tobin smirks, “Okay, no one armed pull ups.  Got it.”

“If you end up back in here because you go try to max out your bench press or something I will slap you around.”

Tobin laughs and salutes her, “Yes, ma’am,” before running off, pads in hand to practice.

~~~

Alex walks over to Tobin before practice on Thursday.  She looks up as she laces her cleats.  “Hey Alex.”

“Hey.  I feel like we haven’t talked in awhile?”

Tobin nods, “Yeah, sorry.”  

There’s a bang on the door and Dom’s voice fills the room.  “Tobs, come on.”

Tobin grabs her pads and helmet and gives her a small smile before jogging out the door and almost running into her coach and Luke as she exits the school.  They both look at her as she apologizes and jogs around them to catch up with Matt and Dom.

Tobin feels really good throughout practice so she is confused when the whistle blows to signal the end of Thursday’s practice and her coach calls out to her.  “Tobin, I need to talk to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming Friday


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to my anon djl1216. Here's your update as promised.

Tobin walks into the locker room angry. She doesn’t hear any noise when she rounds the corner and assumes it’s empty. She chucks her helmet at the lockers, causing a loud bang as she yells “FUUUCK.”

“What’s wrong, Tobin?” Tobin turns and sees Alex sitting at her own locker. 

‘ _Of course you’re here_.’ “Nothing. Sorry. I thought I was alone.” Tobin says quickly walking to pick up her helmet and putting it in its spot in her locker.

“Well, you’re not,” Alex replies confused. “What happened?”

“I’m not playing tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“They say it’s my shoulder but I’m not in the sling anymore. I’m fine. Have been all week. Why do you care anyways? You should be happy.”

“Why would I be happy about that?” Alex is hurt by how Tobin is talking to her.

Tobin throws her pads on top of her locker before answering, “Your precious boyfriend gets to be starting kicker again. He probably convinced them to give me another week of rest so he could get some playing time. He scored a lot last week because we were playing the worst team in the league so that probably made him happy.”

“He does play Tobin. He also scores.” Alex raises her voice and stands up. “He doesn’t need your spot to get playing time. He’s on the field more than you are. Why would he want your spot?”

Tobin blinks at her. “Wow.” She quickly grabs her bag and heads out the door, foregoing the shower.

‘ _Shit. That’s not remotely how that was supposed to go._ ’ Alex thinks, sitting back down, head in her hands. Alex had waited for Tobin to come in so she could ask her what was wrong and try to make plans with her for the weekend. Alex missed bantering with Tobin over stupid things and it had been less than two weeks. Alex groans and texts her mom to come pick her up. She sees she has a few texts from Serv.

**Serv: Guess what babe?**

**Serv: They’re starting me as kicker tomorrow**

**Serv: Tobin’s not ready with her arm so they’re letting me kick again**

She types out a response and sends it before standing up and heading to the front of the school, slowly.

**Lex: That’s great. You’re going to do amazing**

~~~

Alex walks into school the next day wearing Servando’s red jersey. Servando comes up behind her wearing his white, away jersey. “Hey number 55. Looking good.” 

“Well I do look good in red,” she smiles. Servando nods as he leans down to kiss her.

“Aaalleeexx,” Sydney calls coming in the door. They break apart and Alex turns to see Sydney in Dom’s jersey while she exclaims, “Hey look. We match.”

Servando wraps his arm around Alex’s shoulder and leans down. “That’s what happens when you’re both dating football players.” Alex looks at Sydney with a smile.

Dom and Tobin walk in wearing their white jerseys. Besides Dom slapping Sydney’s butt, they don’t pay the other group any mind as they head down the hall. “What’s wrong with her?” Sydney asks.

“Her shoulder is still fucked up and she’s upset she can’t play,” Servando explains.

“She was doing hand stands yesterday in yoga. Seemed fine to me,” Sydney says confused. Alex looks at Sydney before turning to look for Tobin who had disappeared ‘ _She was?_ ’

Servando shrugs, “She’ll get to play next week. I’m just glad I can have the spot again, even if it’s just for a game.”

Alex looks up at him, brows furrowed. “We gotta get to class,” she grabs Sydney’s hand and pulls her away from the door. 

“What’s going on Alex? I thought you were going to talk to her yesterday.” Sydney asks stopping her when they have to part ways.

“I tried to talk to her last night. We kind of ended it really badly and I may have said some things I shouldn’t have. She was already super upset because of not playing and I was just kind of a bitch.” Alex lets out a long breath. “I just feel like whatever I say now is the wrong thing.”

“You’re probably right about her just being upset. You’re never in a good mood when you get injured.” Sydney pats her shoulder. “How is it going with you and Serv? You seem a little distant again.”

“I don’t know. I just get mixed feelings from him. He’s nice and super caring, I just don’t know if I want to be more than friends with him.”

“Okay well you should talk to him.” Sydney says as the warning bell rings.

Alex shakes her head in resignation, “I know.”

~~~

Alex sits in the away stands with her friends watching the last few minutes of the game. Her and Sydney both wearing the red jerseys and cheering loudly as their team sacks the other team’s quarterback. They are down by two as they get the ball back. They drive it over the center line but get stopped at the 45 yard line, inches short of a first down. 

Alex looks down at the players on the sideline. She is immediately able to pick out Tobin since she is significantly shorter than the rest of the team and also wearing black shorts and no pads or helmet. She’s yelling at the team, clapping her hand together, and trying to encourage them. She then looks for Servando who is swinging his leg back and forth. The play starts again and Ryan has the ball. He dives through the line and gets the first down.

In the next three plays they are able to get it to the 26, a yard short of a first down. There are 40 seconds left. The players start to run off the field as a new group of players runs on, Servando being one of them. He walks to the 32 yard line and then paces out his steps. Sydney squeezes her hand tightly. ‘ _Tobin was almost making those from over 5 yards back. He’s going to tie this up._ ’ The clock counts down and Servando eventually gives the nod and the ball is snapped back. He runs in and kicks the ball. Alex can tell it’s not going to make it as soon as it’s kicked. The ball rolls out the back, way off of center. Their section of the bleachers groans while the other side cheers loudly. The players on the field switch again. The clock runs out and the other team wins. The group of girls walk down to the fence to wait for the boys as they have their meeting.

Servando and Dom head over to them. “Good game, guys,” Sydney says, kissing Dom. 

A man approaches them. “Hi, Servando. My name is Tony, one of the assistant coaches at Cal.” Alex smiles while Servando shakes his hand eagerly. “We were so glad to get your call Monday to come check you out. We will call you for more details, but I think we are going to be able to find a place for you on our team next year.” Servando thanks him profusely while Alex looks at the coach, then to Dom and Syd.

The two talk for another minute before the coach walks away with a wave towards them. Servando turns back towards the three and goes to hug Alex. “Oh my god did you hear that?” She nods as she lets him hug her. 

“You called him Monday?”

“What? Oh yeah.”

“Did you call him as a kicker?”

“I had hoped I was going to be kicking again but I wasn’t sure. They have seen me in my other spots but they just wanted to see me kick, even if it wasn’t too good because I don’t get enough practice.”

Dom butts in before Alex can say anything, “Tobin was practicing on Tuesday. They just told her to take it easy to be safe. You knew that. You were there.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I didn’t tell them to bench her.”

“Yeah well it turned out well for you but cost us the game.” Dom gives Sydney another kiss and heads towards the bus after telling her he’d see her at the party. Servando turns towards Alex.

“What happened?” she questions.

“I don’t know. I never said anything to the coaches about Tobin,” he responds defensively.

“It worked out pretty well in your favor,” she raises her eyebrow and crosses her arms waiting for a response.

“Alex, I swear I didn’t say anything.” He glances over his shoulder at his departing teammates. “I’ll see you at the party?”

She shrugs, “I guess.” He leans down to kiss her, but she turns her head and his lips brush her cheek instead. 

“I’ll see you later,” he says softly. He glances up at her friends who are all standing behind her and turns towards the rest of his team has already disappeared. Alex turns and moves along the fence to the parking lot, her friends following after quietly.

Once they are all in, Ashlyn turns to her from the driver’s seat, “Want to go egg his house?”

Alex chuckles sadly, “No. His mom doesn’t deserve to have to clean that up.”

“Do you want to go to the party?” Ali asks from the passenger seat.

“Yeah. Let’s go have fun.”

Ashlyn nods and starts driving back towards town, blasting some music. They pull into the driveway of the party. Alex gets out and puts her arm through Ashlyn’s. “Let’s go get me a drink.” 

“Sure thing kid.” They walk into the kitchen and Ashlyn begins making a drink for Alex. She hands over the red cup before grabbing a beer for herself.

“Ash. You’re driving.” Ali says seeing Ashlyn with a beer.

“It will be my only one, princess.”

“Fine then, but I’m driving you home.”

“Oh no no no. You are not driving King Arthur.”

Refusing to back down, Ali holds out her hand, “Then give me the beer.” Ashlyn groans starring Ali down for a second before handing it over.

“Such a party pooper, Kriegs.” Ashlyn follows Alex outside. They sit around the fire pit. Ashlyn pokes at the fire with a stick, watching it burn. They sit there talking for an hour before they hear the party start to pick up inside. The door opens and Servando walks out. 

“Hey, Alex,” Alex ignores him staring at her drink. “Can we talk?”

“Why?” she asks coldly.

“Please,” he begs. Alex internally groans and stands up.

Alex follows him towards the other side of the yard under the protective eye of her friends. “What do you want to talk about?” she asks, her voice cold, when they come to a stop.

“I don’t want this to be the reason we break up,” he responds, putting his hands on her arms lightly.

Alex takes a step back out of his hands. She glances towards her friends and sees Ashlyn walking towards them.

“Wait. I’m not saying we have to stay together. I just don’t want you to think I’m an ass.”

Alex looks up at him confused. “What do you mean?” she asks as Ashlyn appears beside them. 

Servando’s eyes move to the blonde before turning back to Alex. “I didn’t have Tobin benched,” he starts. Ashlyn snorts next to them and they both turn towards her.

Alex holds a hand up to the blonde, “Ash, I got this.” Ashlyn stares Servando down for a moment before nodding and heading back to the fire. Alex turns back. “Go on.”

“I didn’t have her benched but I know what happened.” He looks around the backyard for a moment before continuing. “I called Cal after our game last week because I had done so well and just wanted to let them know. They asked if I would be kicking again because Tony was in the area already for a game tomorrow. I told them I didn’t know and they said they would come out anyways.”

“Then why was Tobin benched?”

“Because someone did talk to the coaches and made them think Tobin needed another week.”

“Who?”

“He’s on the team. It doesn’t matter who. He’s my friend and was trying to help me out. I told him he shouldn’t have done it.”

“Alright. I guess I believe you,” Alex sighs.

“I still think we should break up though.” 

Alex looks at him confused, “Why?”

“Because I don’t think you want to be with me. I think if you had you would have had a little more faith in me that I wasn’t trying to screw Tobin over. You’ve also been pretty distant. I really like you, I just don’t think you like me back the same way.”

Alex mulls over his words, nodding her head in agreement. “I’m sorry. I do really like you, I just never got the feeling I think you’re supposed to have when dating someone.”

“Can I still say hi to you if I see you around?” Servando asks.

Alex smiles up at him, “Of course. We can still be friends.”

“Can I give you a hug?” Alex nods and moves into his warm waiting arms. They break apart after a few moments. “I’ll see you, Alex.”

“Bye Serv,” Alex responds and heads back towards her circle of friends.

“Please tell me you are not still with that douche bag,” Ashlyn demands when Alex sits down next to her.

“He’s not a douche bag Ash. He was actually really sweet. But no we aren’t together. We broke up.”

Alex looks around the circle smiling when her eyes land on Dom softly whispering into Sydney’s ear, his arms wrapped tight around her and a huge smile on her face. ‘ _Why is it so easy for them?_ ’ Alex listens to the conversation happening around her. She brings her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around her legs, her mind wandering to Tobin. She glances around the yard but finds it mostly empty. Kelley comes and sits next to her, “Hey, you wanna get out of here?”

Alex nods, letting Kelley help her to her feet. “I’ll see you guys Monday.” 

The remaining members of the team call out their goodbyes as the pair walks to the house. As Kelley reaches for the handle, the glass door slides open. Tobin walks through the doorway, glancing back as someone calls her name. She walks into Kelley, causing her teammates to stop short behind her. Tobin untangles herself from Kelley, harsh eyes locking on Alex.

“Sorry,” she mumbles softly, not even looking at Kelley. She pulls her eyes away from Alex as she walks around them, followed by followed by five of her teammates. 

“They really do follow her around like a queen,” Kelley says as she walks into the house. Alex nods watching Tobin head out and start tossing a football around. “Al, Al…ALEX.”

Alex turns back around. “Sorry.” She follows Kelley to her car and gets in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of Serv now?  
> Is this a good ending or a bad ending?  
> Any other thoughts/feelings you want to get out?


	16. Chapter 16

On Monday, Alex doesn’t see Tobin until lunch and Tobin doesn’t look her way once.  After school, Alex walks into the locker room and heads over to Tobin’s locker.  She sits down and looks over at the stickers she’s put up in her locker.  

“I don’t want your boyfriend’s lousy sticker on my wall,” Tobin says coldly, dropping her bag at Alex’s feet.

Alex looks up, “Tobin, can we talk?”

“I have to get ready for practice.”

“After practice then?” she asks, as Tobin grabs her pads from above Alex’s head.  Tobin clenches her jaw as she kicks off her shoes.

“Fine,” she responds.  “I need to get dressed now.  You’re making me late.”

Alex stands up quickly, backing away.  “I’m sorry,” she answers. Although Alex was apologizing for more than just being at her locker, it seems like Tobin doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.  When Tobin goes to pull down her jean shorts, Alex looks down to her feet and walks towards her locker to start getting ready for her own practice.  At the sound of a loud bang, Alex looks up to see her running to the door in basketball shorts and a sports bra with pads and cleats in hand.

Alex watches her leave before she starts getting ready herself.  Kelley sits down as Alex quickly pulls on her practice gear.  “What was that about?”

“Oh, she basically told me Serv had gotten her benched, which he didn’t but it _was_ because of him and I was just a royal bitch to her and I want to apologize.  She’s still mad but we’ll see.”

“Why do you even care?”

“She was my friend.”

“Yeah for like a week.”

“It was longer than that but why is that relevant,” Alex clarifies.  “She’s really cool and funny.  She just… I don’t know.  She has a hard shell that is tough to break.  I actually think you would really like her.”

“Whatever you say, Al,” Kelley chuckles, patting Alex on the back as they head out of the locker room together.

~~~

“What’s going on Alex?  You’re barely here.” Abby asks Alex as they walk back to the locker room after a bad practice.  “Does it have to do with Servando?”

“Yeah, I know,” Alex says, rubbing some non-existent dirt off of her hand.  “Sorry.  It’s not really him, just something that happened because of him.  I got in a fight with someone and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to fix it.”

“There will be other girls, Al,” Abby says gently,  putting her arm around the shorter girl.

“What do you mean?”  Alex looks up at her confused.  

“Alex.  I’ve seen you and Tobin.  I’ve seen how you look at each other.”

“What are you talking about, Abby? We’re friends.”

When they enter the locker room, Abby follows Alex to her locker.  She sits down on the bench and looks around before looking at Alex.

Abby takes a breath.  “Al, I’m gay.”

“What?”

“I have a girlfriend.  She’s a junior at Adams.  We’ve been dating for almost a year,” Abby says with a small smile, looking out at their teammates around them.

“Umm okay…?” Alex murmurs confused, sitting down next to her. “I don’t understand what this had to do with my crappy practice…”

“It doesn’t.  I want you to know that it’s okay.”

“I’m not gay, Abby.  I don’t care if you are.  I still love you and am glad you’re happy, but I’m not gay.”

“Okay Alex.  Just know I will always be here to talk.  No judgements.  Ever.”  Abby stands up and pats Alex’s back.  She heads to her locker with the other seniors while Alex sits there, unmoving. ‘ _What the fuck was that?  I’m not gay.  I just dated a guy._ ’

Alex knows she has some time before Tobin’s practice ends, so she decides to shower.  She takes a long shower, watching the grime from practice swirl down the drain. Alex notices Tobin’s pads sitting in her locker when she gets out.  She gets dressed and hears the remaining shower turn off.  She looks up to see Tobin walking quickly to her locker in a regular bra with a towel wrapped around her waist.  

‘ _She does have a nice_ bo…Wait.' Alex thinks. ‘ _What the hell?  Not gay._ ’

Alex gives her a few minutes to put her clothes on before walking over.  “Hey, Tobin,” Alex says quietly, breaking the silence of the locker room.  

Tobin glances up at her before looking back down and finishing tying her shoes.  She stands up and looks at Alex again, her eyes devoid of emotion.  Without hesitating, Tobin grabs her bag and walks past her.  “Wait Tobin. You said we could talk.”  

Tobin keeps her pace while responding harshly, “We can.  We will.  Let’s go.  I’ll drive you home.”    The door of the locker room slams shut as Alex stares after her.  

“Shit,” Alex mutters and quickly hustles after Tobin, catching up to her just as she is leaving the building.

“Tobin, you were right,” Alex calls out as she catches up.  Tobin stops walking immediately causing Alex to slam into her back.

“Sorry,” Alex says as she collects herself, talking to Tobin’s back. “Tobin you were right.  You were benched.  Servando didn’t do it but you were benched because of him. He had a coach coming to watch him.  I broke up with him Friday.  I should have believed you and I’m sorry I didn’t.  I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m sorry for everything.”

Tobin stands there silently, taking in what Alex said.  “Come on.  I’m going to be late for dinner,”  Tobin says, continuing to walk towards her car.

Alex sighs as she jogs to catch up.  “Tobin it was one mistake and I’m trying to apologize.”

Tobin turns around with small, shy smile.“I know, but my mom will kill me if I’m late for dinner tonight.  It’s my grandma’s birthday.”

“Oh,” Alex says, forgetting the apology, “I can get my own ride.”

“I can still give you a ride.  We just have to go.”  Tobin nods her head in the direction of her car.  The walk the rest of the way in silence.  Alex watching her out of the corner of her eye.  When they climb into the car, Tobin starts it quickly and begins driving out of the lot.  “Which way?” she asks and Alex gives her directions to her house.

“Tobin?”  Alex asks nervously as they sit in her driveway.

“Yes, Alex?”

“Are we okay?”  she asks looking at Tobin who is looking back at her with a slight grin.

“Yeah. We are.”

“So I realized while we weren’t talking that I didn’t have your number.  I had no way of talking to you.  It would make it easier if I ever need to apologize for being stupid or ya know… I forget my backpack, if we have each other’s numbers.”  Alex says, holding up her phone with a small, anxious smile on her face.

Tobin laughs, “Of course.  Hopefully it’s for something else.”  She grabs her phone and quickly enters her number in.  She hands it back and then says, “Alex, I really need to go.”

“Oh shit.  Right.  I’m sorry.”  Alex quickly grabs her stuff and hops out.  “See you tomorrow,” Alex says hopeful.

Tobin nods as she puts the car into reverse.  “Bye, Alex.”

~~~

Tobin goes up to her room after her grandma leaves.  As she sits down to start her homework, she pulls out her phone to turn music on and sees she has two texts.

**Unknown number: So it took me a few minutes to find this because normal people use their actual name when putting their number in someones phone**

**Unknown number: But anyways did you make it home in time?**

Tobin quickly adds the number to her contacts before responding.

**The Queen: Might not be my name but its my title**

**The Queen: A little late but grandma just said she expected me to be no less than 10 min so she was disappointed I was only 5**

**The Queen: Mom on the other hand handed me my ass on a silver platter along with the meatloaf.**

A few minutes go by before a response.

**Alex: Lol.  Well was the meatloaf at least good?**

**The Queen: Obviously**

Another few silent minutes as Tobin works through her math problems.

**Alex: So do you maybe want to sit with me at lunch tomorrow?**

**Alex: I don’t imagine the boys smell too good**

Tobin stares at her phone for a minute unsure how to respond.  Nervous about sitting with Alex but still wanting to she types out and erases a few different responses before getting another text from Alex.

**Alex: It was just a question.  I know you’re not really friends with my team.  You don’t have to say yes**

**The Queen: I guess I could sit with you.  It might bring down my rep a little bit but I can take it :P**

**Alex: Oh you’re so popular that sitting with us lowly soccer players will bring down your rep.**

**The Queen: Every queen needs to interact with the lowly commoners at some point**

**Alex: Wow okay.  See you tomorrow**

Tobin sets her phone down with a smile and goes back to her homework.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ya go lovlies

“So,” Alex says while walking into lunch with Kelley. “Tobin might be joining us today.”

As they pass by a few tables of rowdy freshman, Kelley looks at Alex, raising an eyebrow, “Oh really.  Why is that?”

“I asked her to,” Alex says simply, sitting down at their normal table where Christen and Lauren are working on their Spanish homework.

“So I take it you worked things out.”

“Yeah.  I don’t know if she’s actually gonna come but at least we’re talking again.”

“Come where?” Sydney asks, sitting down.

Kelley quickly jumps in, “Tobin’s sitting with us today.”

“Good luck with that,” Sydney scoffs not believing it.  

“Moment of truth,” Kelley jumps in directing their attention to the main door.  Alex, Kelley, and Sydney turn in unison and see Dom and Tobin entering the cafeteria.

~~~

Tobin walks into the cafeteria with Dom, her eyes darting towards her usual table before turning towards the soccer girls’ table.  Dom turns to her. “Where you going?”

“To uh…sit with them,” Tobin responds gesturing towards the soccer players. Dom looks past her and sees his girlfriend and her friends staring at them.

“Since when do you sit with them?”

“Since Alex asked me last night.”

Dom eyes Tobin making sure she is serious. “She apologized?”  Tobin nods.  “Why is this the first I’m hearing of this.”

She runs her fingers through her hair, brushing it out. “I figured Syd would have told you.”

Dom shakes his head and glances over at the table where he meets the eyes of his girlfriend.  “I don’t want you to get hurt again.  You broke when she dated Serv for like a week.”

“It was more like four weeks,” Tobin corrects, causing Dom to roll his eyes.  “You could come sit with us.  It’s not like your girlfriend isn’t there too.”  

Dom shrugs as Tobin starts walking to the table and he follows after her. Tobin walks to the seat next to Alex while Dom pulls up a chair next to Sydney, whispering into her ear.  

“This seat taken?”  Tobin asks slightly nervous.  Alex smiles up at Tobin and shakes her head.  Tobin breaths out a small sigh of relief as she sits down. She pulls out her lunch and goes to take a bite out of her sandwich.  When she looks up, she sees six pairs of eyes staring at her.  Only Dom and Sydney, who are too focused on each other, aren’t looking at her. Tobin drops her sandwich.  “Sorry.  Do you guys say grace or something?”

A short, girl sitting opposite of her starts to laugh but is quickly silenced by a look from Alex.  The girl bites her lip to stifle her laughter.  Alex turns back to Tobin , “Sorry, just ignore Kling. I was going to introduce you but do you remember everyone’s name from bowling?”  

Tobin looks at the other girls sitting at the table, trying to recall their names.  While she’s pretty sure one of them, that’s in her math class, name starts with a ‘C’ she doesn’t actually remember anything definitively.  She shakes her head shyly. “Not really, sorry.  There were too many people.”

“No it’s cool,” Alex reassures her.  “So you know Kelley and Sydney.  Next to Dom is Kling, Christen, Amy, and Lauren.”

Tobin nods looking at them for a second, trying to remember their names, “Okay.  I might fuck it up but we’ll see.”  She turns to Alex , “Can I eat now?” This causes the table to laugh as Alex nods with a smile.

“So, Tobin,” Lauren asks as Tobin takes another bite of her sandwich. “How’s your shoulder feeling?”

Tobin swallows, “It’s fine.  I should have played on Friday but whatever.  Just need to get over the loss and focus on this week’s win.”

“Yeah and I talked to Matt over the weekend and he talked to coach and they agreed that you’re playing.” Dom says, reaching a fist over to Tobin for her to pound.   “We could have won Friday.  You can make those kicks in your sleep and he probably would have gone for more field goals.”  

“So when is your next game?” Tobin asks, trying to get the conversation off of her.

“Tonight actually,” Alex answers.

“Oh, that’s cool.  You guys gonna win?”

Kelley scoffs, “Of course.  We’re gonna kick some ass.”

“You guys have been doing really good so far.  Already running out of wall space and you’re not even halfway through.”

“Undefeated baby,” Kling says, high fiving Lauren.

They talk about soccer for a bit more before Alex broaches a question that she’s wanted to ask Tobin.  “So have you ever play soccer before?”

“Yeah, I played in middle school, but I wanted to try something new when we moved here and the kicking is the same general thing.”

“Were you any good?”

“I was okay. Nowhere near your guys’ level,” Tobin says when Dom scoffs.  Tobin shoots him a look.  The girls at the table look between them confused.

Tobin quickly changes the subject back to the soccer players, “So where is your game tonight?”

~~~

As soon as the whistle blows to end practice, Tobin starts to jog to the locker room.  Dom runs to catch up with her.  “Where are you going to so quickly?”

“Uh you know. Just want to get outta here.”

“You’re not staying late to practice more kicks?”

“Not today,” Tobin replies, still keeping a fast pace back to the school.

“You wanna come over and play video games?” he asks.

“I’m, uh, going out.”

Dom looks at her confused. “Where you going?”

“To Valley?” she responds quietly

“Why are you going to Valley?”  He asks as they get into the gym. “Wait are you going to the soccer game?”

Tobin blushes slightly, “Yeah.”

“Alright.  You wanna drive?” he asks as he pulls off his pads.

“Huh?” Tobin looks at him confused, almost tripping over the small step near the door.

“If you go to the game and I don’t, I will never hear the end of it.  We’ll make it fun.  I’m gonna go shower and change real quick.  Meet you back out here in ten minutes?”

Tobin smiles and nods, heading to her locker room.  She quickly showers and changes before walking out the locker room door combing her hair.

“Looking pretty fit there Tobin.  Since when do you _ever_ brush your hair?” Dom asks as they start walking towards the parking lot, a grin wide across his face.

“I do sometimes.”

“Oh are these the same times that you plan on seeing, I don’t know, Alex, maybe?” Dom teases, pushing his shoulder against hers.

Tobin pushes him back, “Shut up Dom.  You were no better when you met Syd.”

“Well I at least asked her out.  Do you ever plan on doing that?” he asks raising an eyebrow.

“What? I can’t ask her out she just broke up with a guy, she’s straight.”  

“Did she ever tell you that?”  Dom challenges as they hop into Tobin’s car and she pulls out of the parking lot.

“I’m just not the type of person she would date,” Tobin says, her shoulders dropping slightly.

“And what kind of person is that?  Athletic, smart, nice, funny, hot.”

Tobin reaches over and puts her hand on his shoulder, “Sorry, bud.  I didn’t know you felt that way about me. I’m actually not into guys though, so it would never work out.  We can still be friends though.”  Dom laughs at her, slapping her hand away. Tobin continues, “That’s basically what she would say to me if I told her I liked her.  Well that’s the best case scenario.  It could also go more like ‘get the fuck away from me, freak’.”  

“Alex would never do that and you know it,” Dom sighs.  “You could start just by telling her you’re into girls.   Not her specifically but just that you play for a different team.”

“How would I do that?  I couldn’t even tell you.”

“We could have Syd tell her or just gage her opinion.”

“No,” Tobin says adamantly, ending the conversation.

They sit in silence until Tobin pulls into the almost empty parking lot at Valley High.  Tobin looks at her watch as they walk around the school.  “Cool we only missed like five minutes.”

When they make it onto the bleachers, the score is still 0-0.  Valley shoots but it goes right to the Patriots goalie, Hope, easily catches it and throws it up field.  Tobin watches the ball get passed to Lauren while Alex makes a quick run towards goal.  Lauren passes the ball but it gets intercepted and kicked back down the field.  Tobin and Dom watch the game, clenching their fist at good plays or close calls but making very little noise.  Half time comes and the score is still tied.  The team heads to the side of the field to regroup for the next half.  Dom and Tobin talk about their film production class and the video Tobin wants to make.  

The whistle blows causing Tobin and Dom to quickly turn, not realizing the game was restarting.  Megan gets the ball and heads up field looking for Alex. She crosses the ball in towards Alex who takes a touch but then is brought down by an opposing player.  There is no whistle as the ball keeps rolling towards the end line.

Tobin is on her feet yelling, “COME ON.  Are you kidding me?  That’s a yellow.”  The ball goes out and most of the team looks to Tobin who is still on her feet, hands up in the air, scowling at the ref.

Dom notices Alex smiling as she stands up and brushes herself off. “Tobin, sit down.  She’s fine,” he says, grabbing her shirt and pulling her down.  “You’re embarrassing me.”

Tobin reluctantly sits down grumbling, “That was such a foul.”

“Maybe, but you’re distracting them,” Dom groans.

Tobin nods as the ball flies back down across the field after a kick from the keeper.  Ten minutes left in the game and the score is still tied. Sydney is subbed in and Dom cheers as she runs onto the field.  They had moved down from the middle of the bleachers and were now leaning over the bar separating the elevated bleachers from the field.  They were definitely the liveliest fans there. They were also the youngest, in a sea of parents.

Tobin started announcing the game, after pulling up their team’s roster on her phone, for Dom and herself.  Dom keeps laughing at her crazy calls.

“Syd the kid gets the ball and turns up field.  She has room.  She’s running. Look at that braid go.  The kid passes it to number ten.  Shit, who’s number ten. Lloyd gets passed her defender.  Morgan is open.  Lloyd looks up to see her.  She sends it in.  Alex is still open in the box.  She jumps up.  It’s goin-GOOOAAALL,” Tobin screams.  Dom claps loudly while Tobin kicks her swinging feet against the bleachers, creating a loud banging.

~~~

The game ends 1-0.

Tobin and Dom clap obnoxiously as the two teams shake hands.  Alex and Sydney head over to their two crazy fans.  Tobin grabs her backpack, quickly pulling out a piece of notebook paper and starts slapping Dom’s shoulder with it, a large smile on her face.  “Oh my god. Oh my god.  You’re Alex Morgan.  Can I have your autograph?  You’re like sooo cool.  I want to be just like you when I grow up.  Can I please, please, _pleeeeaaaase_ have your autograph?” She holds out her paper, which Alex takes and crumples up tossing it towards the garbage.

Tobin turns into Dom’s shoulder pretending to cry.  Alex slaps at her foot while Sydney says, “Tobin, I’m going to kiss him whether you’re there or not.”  She climbs up the front of the bleachers and leans over the railing.  Tobin backs away quickly with her tongue sticking out.

“Bleh, gross,” she gags, as she turns back to Alex, quickly hopping over the railing and down to the ground.  “That was a great game there, super star.  Nice goal.”

Tobin goes in to hug her but Alex takes a step back.  

“Thanks but I’m all sweaty and you look like you just showered.”

Tobin shrugs and pulls Alex in for a hug.  She backs away with a smile, “Ew. You’re right. You stink.”

“LADIES, bring it in,” their coach calls. Sydney hops down off the fence and Alex pushes at Tobin’s shoulder with a large smile before heading back to their coach.  

Dom hops down onto the field and kicks a nearby soccer ball to Tobin.  “Bet I can score on you.”

Tobin laughs and flicks the ball up to her hands.  “Probably, but I bet I can score on you more.”  

“Oh it’s on, T.”  He grabs the ball from her hands and tosses it towards the field, running after it.

Tobin takes off after him but can’t get to him by the time he sends the ball into the goal.  “That was cheap, DD.”  She fishes the ball out of the goal and dribbles to the top of the 18.  A whistle blows suddenly and they turn to look.  The entire team is staring at them and their coach waves them over, an annoyed look on her face.

Tobin flicks the ball back into her hands and turns to Dom, “Well, we're screwed.  She doesn’t look happy.”

“No English?” he asks as they make their way over.

“No too easy for you to fuck up. What about just a British accent?  That shouldn’t be too hard for you.” Dom nods as they head over.

“’ello.” Dom calls out as they get close, putting an extra emphasis to his already British accent.

“That was a wicked game you all had,” Tobin says with her own British accent, subpar compared to Dom’s.  

Dom nods in agreement, “Brilliant it was.  I almost lost the plot with that goal.”

The faces of the players get more confused each time they talk.  Sydney cuts in just as Tobin opens her mouth again and asks “What are you doing?”

“Were we not allowed to play with the futball?  We didn’t mean to nick it,” Tobin says.

“No the accents,” Alex asks, one eyebrow raised as a smile creeps over her face.

“What accents?” Tobin asks, as she glances over at the coach, nervously.  The woman’s head is cocked to the side as she looks between the two.

“Dom, cut it out,” Sydney says.  “We just want to know how much room you guys have in your car, cause our bus has two flats and they can’t get us a new one for like two hours.”

“Oh,” Tobin says, dropping the accent, “well legally, three more but there’s probably enough room for like six if you don’t mind sitting on each other and stuff.”

“I heard six,” their coach says, looking hard at Tobin, “just drive carefully.  Okay, so with the parents still here, I think we are all set.  Great game you guys.  I’ll see you all tomorrow if the new bus ever gets here.”

~~~

Dom and Tobin stand off to the side while the players divide into groups amongst themselves.  They start the walk to Tobin’s car with Sydney, Alex, Kelley, Ashlyn, Heather, and Ali.  Dom gets into the back seat and Sydney climbs onto his lap. Heather climbs in on the other side, sliding into the middle, followed by Ashlyn with Ali on her lap.  Kelley and Alex squeeze into the front seat together. “Okay everyone, buckle up the best you can,” Tobin calls out as she starts the car and carefully pulls out of the mostly empty parking lot.  It takes them a few minutes longer than usual to drive the ten miles because Tobin is driving extra carefully.

“So what was with those accents?” Heather asks.

“We thought we were in trouble.” Dom answers simply.

“So you thought ‘hmmm let’s pretend we're British?’”  Ashlyn asks with a laugh.

“Well last time we tried German but it didn’t go so well considering we know zero German.” Tobin responds.

“Yeah,” Dom laughs, “we just kept yelling ‘nein’ and ‘guten tag’ but hey it worked.  The dude walked away.”

“You guys are ridiculous,” Sydney says while the rest of the car laughs.  Ali pulls out her phone and texts Alex. Alex feels her phone vibrate and looks down at it.

**Kriegs: You were right.  She’s funny.  I see why you like her.**

Alex looks at her phone and quickly types out a message.

**Alex M: What are you talking about???**

She then turns around to Ali who just smiles at her.  Ali shows Ashlyn her phone.  Ashlyn reads the text then nods to Alex, whispering something into Ali’s ear.

**Kriegs: Just saying you should invite her to hang out with us more :) She could come Saturday if you want to invite her**

“Yo, Tobin, I’m hungry,” Dom calls from the back, distracting Alex from her phone.  “Marge is working tonight.”  

“Who’s Marge?” Sydney asks, looking curiously at Dom.

Tobin notices the look Sydney gives him in her rearview mirror and decides to have a little fun. “Dom’s other girlfriend,” Tobin responds with a sly smirk.

“Dom?”  Sydney asks her voice rising slightly.

Dom slaps at the back of Tobin’s headrest.  “It’s fine, baby. You’ll see.  Do you guys mind if we stop and get something to eat?”  Everyone shrugs in response.

Dom smiles, grabbing Tobin’s seat with both hands and shaking it.  “Yo, Tobs, let’s go eat.”

Tobin nods, turning at the next light and heading towards the diner.  She pulls in a few minutes later and everyone detangles themselves from the car.  When they enter the diner, the soccer team stops just inside the door but Tobin and Dom walk by and head towards a large booth in the back.  The soccer players follow and sit down.

“Well, well, well.  Look what the cat dragged in, and not on a Friday.  Where are the rest of my boys?”  an older lady asks as she approaches the table.

“Hey, Marge, we came here with a different football team tonight.  They just won an _amazing_ game with a last minute header by this one,” Tobin replies with a large smile and pointing her thumb at Alex who had slid in next to her.  

“So, ladies,” Marge looks around at the new faces, “if you’re so great then why are you hanging out with these losers?”  The girls all laugh as Marge rubs Dom’s head.

“Marge, that hurts.”

“Oh. Dom, you big baby. If you promise not to cry I’ll get you your chocolate shake with extra whip cream.”

Dom smiles huge, “Thanks, Marge.”

“Can I get you guys anything else?”  She looks around at the table and takes their orders one by one before walking away.

“Jealous, Syd?” Ashlyn asks.  Sydney throws a sugar packet at her head but the keeper easily catches it and sets it on the table.

~~~

Tobin looks at Alex sitting next to her.  Staring at the hand she desperately wants to hold, Tobin zones out. The hand reaches towards her, grabbing her arm and shaking it.

“Tobin?”

Tobin looks up at Alex’s face then around the table. Everyone is staring at her with similar bemused expressions.  “What? Sorry. Did you say something?”  

Alex smiles at her.  “I asked you if you wanted to hang out with us Saturday.  We’re hanging out at Ali’s house.”  Tobin turns to Ali, who nods.

“Yeah.  Sure.  Is it like a big party?”

“No, just a hangout.  It starts at 3.”

Tobin nods trying to hide a large smile, “Yeah I’ll come.  On the condition that you all come to our next game...”  Alex smiles and looks around.

“I’m pretty sure we all would have been there regardless,” Ashlyn says.

“Just making sure.  I can never have too many fans.” Tobin says with a huge grin on her face.

“Wow.  Conceited much?” Alex says, to which Tobin just shrugs, bumping their shoulders.

Before Tobin can respond, Marge comes over with their drinks.  She pulls up a chair to the head of the table, next to Tobin and sits down.  “So it looks like you’re feeling better.  You haven’t been too happy the past few times I’ve seen you.”

“Yeah some stuff went down at school, but it’s all good now,” Tobin responds.  Marge’s eyes flick to Alex before looking back at Tobin, nodding knowingly.

“You just let me know if there is ever anything I can do.  I have a few mob connections, and they owe me after I gave them the chocolate cake recipe.”  Tobin chuckles and pats Marge’s arm softly.

“Thanks, Marge.  I don’t think it so serious that the mob needs to be informed, but I will keep that in mind for future reference.”  

A softer look comes over the older woman’s face.  “What am I going to do when you graduate?” Marge asks sadly.  “I still have another year after this one right.”

“Yeah, still just a junior and you’ll do fine.  I’ll come visit you on breaks and you will have a whole new group of kids to look after.”

“Yeah but you’re my favorite.  I don’t know how I dealt with all the boys before you.”

“You just showed ‘em who’s boss.  Who do you think I learned that from?  If you ever need to bring in the muscle though, you can just call me, and I’ll come back and teach them a lesson.”  Tobin flexes her biceps menacingly in an effort to prove her point.  She thought everyone was talking amongst themselves based on the noises behind her but turns when she hears a laugh and finds Alex smiling at her.

“Super scary muscles you got there,” Alex comments as Marge stands up at the sound of a little bell ringing.  “You and her seem pretty close,” she adds as Marge walks away.

“We are.  She kind of helped me get more comfortable with the team freshman year.”

“How?”  Marge comes over and sets down their food before heading to another table.

“So varsity always comes here on Friday to just relax and eat before getting ready for the game.  Do you know the story of how I got on varsity?”

Alex shrugs, “Kinda.”

Tobin smiles, “Okay, well, I joined varsity halfway through my freshman year when the senior kicker broke something in his foot.  I was new to football so I started out on the freshman team.  When Emmett, the kicker, got hurt my coach thought I was better than Servando, who was on the JV team at the time, because I had a really powerful kick from playing soccer, so we both tried out for the spot and I got it.  I was a freshman and a girl so the varsity team _really_ didn’t want me there. I got tackled once or twice from them not blocking.”

Tobin takes a few bites of her food, as does Alex before continuing. “So anyways, even though they didn’t like me it was still a thing of everyone on varsity eating here so on coaches orders I would just sit at the end of the table by myself eating.  Marge would purposely get them to bond with me and such. She would ask how I did last game and then be like ‘wow if you hadn’t scored you guys would have lost.’  It took all season but she got them to see that I was at least somewhat valuable.  It wasn’t until the next year that I really made friends with most of them and I had to prove I was better than Serv a few times but Marge really got me in with the team by the end of my freshman year.”

Alex smiles while Tobin speaks so highly of the woman.  Tobin takes a few more bites of her grilled cheese while Alex adds, “Guys just can’t handle it when girls are better.”  Tobin nods finishing the first half.

“Speaking of that...well not really, but kinda, who’s winning?  Well more how much are you winning by?”

“As of tonight I am up by five.”

“Ugh my scoring ability is completely dependent on my coach and the players.  You just have to be awesome and you get points.  I’m always awesome and still might not get the same,” Tobin says tossing a french fry up in the air before catching it in her mouth.

“You trying to call off the bet?” Alex says, picking up a fry off of Tobin’s plate and putting it in her own mouth.

Tobin picks up third fry, tossing it at Alex.  It hits her in the forehead before falling to her lap as Tobin responds, “No, I just still think it’s unfair, especially since me missing one game is like you missing three.  I would have had like three points in just the last game plus the one before would have been like five.”

Alex shrugs, “We can call it and I can just get my prize now.”

“No.  There’s a chance I can still win and I’ll take it.”  Tobin finishes her sandwich, before saying “I’ll be back.” She gets up and walks over to Marge.  Alex sees them talking and turns her attention to the table to find Ali smirking at her.

“What?”

Ali makes sure no one is listening, “You and Tobin sure have become pretty close in such a short amount of time.”

“Yes and?”

“It just reminds me of something similar.  Did Abby talk to you?” ‘ _What?_ ’

“Talk to me about what?”

“Al, cool it.  She’s not ready,” Ashlyn says, looking down at her phone.

“I’m not ready for what?”  Alex asks as Tobin sits back down.

Ashlyn turns to Tobin, ignoring Alex’s question, “Hey, Tobin, can we get back to school?  I have something I need to do.”  Ali jumps suddenly and looks over at Ashlyn, wide eyed.  The blonde just smirks, her eyes not leaving Tobin.

“Yeah.  Is everyone ready?” Tobin asks loud enough for the table to hear.  They all nod and start to pull out their wallets.

Tobin stands quickly shaking her head, “We’re all set.  Let’s go.”  She takes a final sip of her water before heading for the door.

Kelley leans over and whispers, “Does that mean she just paid for all of us?”  Alex shrugs as they all stand up and follow Tobin out the door saying bye to Marge as they pass.

They stuff themselves back into the car and Tobin drives to the school.  She pulls up to the front door and they all stumble out and start to head to the locker room after thanking her for the ride and meal.   “See you guys tomorrow.”

~~~

As Tobin is climbing into bed she hears her phone vibrate from where it rests on her desk across the room.  She contemplates leaving it until tomorrow until it buzzes two more times.  She groans and trudges over to her desk, picking it up.  She sees the sender and smiles as she heads back to her bed, reading the messages.

**Alex: I don’t know if I told you this already but thanks for coming to the game today.**

**Alex: It meant a lot to me**

**Alex: Also thanks for the ride home**

Tobin climbs into bed before responding.

**The Queen: I figured it was only fair since you come to mine and the ride home was fun**


	18. Chapter 18

Lauren smirks as Alex sits down.  “What happened to you guys last night?”

“What do you mean?” Alex asks, looking at Lauren confused.

“Everyone else made it back but everyone that went with Tobin and Dom never came back.”

“We did, just we stopped to get something to eat,” Alex explains.

“So she just took you out to dinner?” Meghan asks.  “Why wasn’t I invited?”

Kelley smirks, “You can ask her on Saturday.”

Lauren leans forward on her elbows looking to Alex.  “Why Saturday?”

“Ali said I should invite her to our party,” Alex says as she starts picking her lunch out of her bag.

“Oh, is that so?” Lauren questions, her smirk spread wide across her face as she raises an eyebrow to Kelley.

Kelley grins and nods as Alex hums, “Mhmm.”

~~~

Alex watches Tobin march onto the field with the rest of her team, her face unnaturally serious.  The crowd is going wild as they come in for their cheer.  Alex sits next to Ashlyn on one side and Kelley on the other.  Ashlyn leans close to Alex so she doesn’t have to shout and so no one will overhear. “So how’s Tobin doing?” she asks.

“I haven’t seen her much since after the game Tuesday.  Just in passing in the locker room.”

“You don’t go see her before school or at lunch?” Ashlyn asks, somewhat surprised.

“Why would I see her before school and she normally sits with her team at lunch?”

“Alex, you know you can tell me anything?  Like I will never judge you for being you, right?”

“Yeah, Ash, I know.” _‘_ _What is it with everyone suddenly thinking I’m gay?_

A whistle blows on the field and they both turn their attention to the start of the game.  Alex watches as the other team kicks the ball down field.

~~~

The game ends in a blowout, 48-6. Tobin kicked two field goals and six extra points.  Alex cheers each time Tobin trots onto the field and very loudly when she kicks a 41 yard field goal.

After the post-game meeting, Tobin looks towards the stands and sees a large group of the soccer team still sitting there.  She smiles and walks over.  “Why are you guys still here?”

“You stayed after our game,” a tall blonde that Tobin doesn’t recognize says.

“We were also going to try and _nick_ your ball and try out this weird thing you Americans call football,” Megan says in a very poor British accent.

“Or we didn’t want to sit in the parking lot traffic trying to get to a party that won’t start until your qb gets home,” Kelley says.

“Wow thanks.  So much love.” Tobin dead pans, sneaking a look at Alex.  

“I try,” Kelley replies.  “Anyways, great game.  You missed a few scoring opportunities but whatever, you guys still won.”

Tobin chuckles, “And when where these opportunities exactly?”

“Well basically every time after you scored you would kick the ball again but you just gave the ball away.”  Kelley shakes her head.  “Wasted.”

Tobin laughs loudly, her smile getting bigger, “I’ll try harder next time.”

“Good.  You should,” Kelley says seriously.  “No one likes a slacker.”

“Says the person who wouldn’t get up to get popcorn because you didn’t want to wait in the five person line,” Hope pipes in from behind Kelley.

“Shut up, Solo.  Who asked you?” Kelley says with a smirk, looking up at the keeper.

Tobin shakes her head before pulling off her pads, Alex’s eyes take in her figure, now only in a sweaty tight fitting tank top. “I’m going to shower.  Did a lot more running up and down the field than usual so I feel extra gross.  I’ll see you guys at the party.” The soccer players all nod as she jogs to the locker room, catching up with her teammates.

~~~

Tobin walks into the party, bypassing the noise and people, heading straight to the basement where she knows Matt’s video games are set up.  She sees Connor and Austin playing Madden alone.  She climbs over the back of the couch and sits down between the twins to watch, “I call winner.”

They both nod but don’t turn from the screen.  After a while Austin turns to her and while waiting for Connor to pick a play says, “Hey, Tobs?”

“What’s up A?”

Austin looks at his brother for a seconds before turning back.  “Are you dating one of the soccer girls?”

Tobin stares at him for a minute and notices Connor is now also looking at her, game forgotten.  “No.  Why do you think that?”

They turn back to the game to start the play.  “I don’t know.  You’re hanging out with them more and we just weren’t sure if maybe that’s why Alex and Serv broke up.”

“Is that what he’s saying?” Tobin asks harshly.

“No.  He’s upset about Alex, but he would never do that,” Connor jumps in.

“Yeah, he’s not a jerk,” Austin finishes.

They hear a creak on the stairs and Tobin turns as a bunch of other partiers start coming down, mostly teammates, pushing at each other.  The game finishes and Tobin takes the controller from Connor who puts his arm around her and squeezes her shoulder.  “Kill his little cheating ass.”

“I’m your older brother, ya dick.” Austin says as he makes his player kick the ball.

“You may be older, but I’m bigger.”

Austin quickly reaches over quickly and pats Connor’s belly, “Yeah we know.”

The few around them, including Connor, start laughing.  Connor continues to lean over and whisper which plays Austin is going to do into Tobin’s ear.

At half time, Tobin puts the controller down and stretches her back.  She sees more people had come down while she had been distracted by the game.  In particular she sees Alex looking over from a bar stool on the other side of the room while surrounded by a few of her teammates.  Tobin waves and Alex weakly smiles back.  “Let’s go, Tobino,” Austin says, causing her to turn around.

The game ends with Tobin narrowly winning.  She hands the controller over to Ryan and heads over to the bar to get some water.  She smiles at the soccer girls while filling up her cup at the sink.  Ashlyn leans over the bar.  “Hey, do you know if we’re allowed to break out the whiskey up there?”  she asks, pointing at the top shelf above the bar.

Tobin turns around to see what she is talking about before turning back, “I doubt it but Matt keeps his special alcohol up in his room if you want to come get it with me.”

Ashlyn nods, standing, while Tobin walks around the bar.  They head up the two flights of stairs together and walk down the hall.  Tobin knocks on the door, opening it slowly, before opening it wider, confirming the room is empty and walking in.  She steps over the piles of clothes while she makes her way towards the mini fridge next to his bed.  She reaches in, pushing the bottles of Gatorade to the side, and pulls out a few liquor filled bottles, looking at them.  “Vodka okay?”  she asks, looking up at Ash.

“Yeah, I just didn’t want the punch thing that’s going on.  Matt’s normally got better shit.”  Tobin hands Ashlyn the vodka, who pours a generous amount in her cup before handing it back.  Tobin puts it back in the fridge and they both head back to the door.

“So what’s this party going to be like tomorrow?”  Tobin asks as she closes the door and they slowly head back downstairs.

Ashlyn takes a sip before responding, “Now that’s a good burn.  It’s just like a barbeque, pool party type thing.  Mid-season bonding.  One of the seniors always holds it and it’s been pretty warm out and Ali’s pool is heated so we figured why not.”  She takes another sip before continuing, “There might be a pickup game or something but it’s not like a party party.  We won’t be drinking.”

“Will it be weird that I’m there?  This sounds like it’s just a team thing,” Tobin says nervously as they head back down to the basement.

“It kinda is but you are still welcome to come, you’ve become our unofficial cheerleader slash mascot.  Pinoe doesn’t shut up about those damn cookies.”

“Okay.”  Tobin smiles as they reach the landing and part ways again.

“See you tomorrow, Tobin,” Ashlyn calls as they heads back over to their respective teams.  Ashlyn leans against the bar next to Ali and takes another sip of her drink, grimacing slightly as she swallows.

“Woah Ash.  What are you drinking?” Ali questions

“Vodka,” Ashlyn says smirking at their friends.

Ali reaches her hands out and places them on Ashlyn’s hips causing the blonde to freeze.  She slips her fingers into the girl’s pants and pulls out the keys to her jeep.  “King Arthur is mine for the night.”  Ashlyn’s shoulders drop but she nods as she continues to drink.

Alex laughs at Ashlyn and looks beyond the blonde towards the rowdy football players who are now egging on an arm wrestling challenge between the twins.  Tobin is leaning on the back of one, cheering him on.  Alex hops off the stool and makes her way up the stairs.  She finds Kelley and Sydney sitting with Dom and a few others.  She sits down on the couch between Kelley and the arm rest.

Twenty minutes later, Alex feels someone sit down on the arm rest and she turns from her conversation with Kelley.  She looks up and sees Tobin leaning forward from her perch on the arm rest to talk to Dom.

“Oh my God, dude, it was amazing,” she laughs.  “Aus had him and while gloating, jumps on the couch and trips over the back.  I can’t believe you didn’t hear it up here.  He basically dove into the drum set.”

Dom starts laughing causing Sydney to turn.  She sees Alex and raises an eyebrow before turning fully to Tobin.  “Tobin, you still gonna come tomorrow?”

The grin stays on Tobin’s face as she looks at Sydney.  “If it’s still cool with you guys.  I get it if it’s a team thing.”

“No, no, no,” Kelley says from the other side of Alex.  “You have to come.  I’ll even give you a ride over.”

Tobin chuckles.  “I have to come?”

“Yes.  It’s mandatory and a pool party so be prepared to swim.”

“I’ll bring my floaties,” Tobin quips.

“Oh,” Sydney says, leaning around Dom even more, “no need.  Alex is our lifeguard.”

Alex looks at Sydney confused while Tobin turns to look down at Alex.  Alex quickly turns to Tobin, “That’s not true at all.”

Tobin shrugs, “It’s cool.  I like my hippo floaties.  Can you just text me the address?”

Alex nods quickly, “Yeah, yeah.  Sure.”

Tobin smiles down at her then turns to Dom, holding out her open hand.  “Okay.  I’m going to head out.”

“Alright, bud.”  He slaps at her hand.  “I’ll see you Monday.”

Tobin stands and slaps hands with the other few teammates sitting around the living room.  She turns to Alex.  “See you tomorrow?”

Alex nods, standing up.  She quickly wraps her arms around Tobin, dropping them before Tobin is able to react.  Alex is sitting back down by the time Tobin blinks and breathes again.

“Uh, see you guys tomorrow,” she stutters, her eyes on Alex.

“Bye, Tobin,” Kelley sings, breaking Tobin from her trance.

Tobin turns to her and smiles, “Bye, Kelley.”


	19. Chapter 19

Tobin pulls up to the address that Alex texted her that morning.  She can tell she’s at the right place by the amount of cars in the long driveway and the sound of music and voices filtering around the house.  She nervously hops out of the car, pulling at her board shorts before heading to the front door and knocking.  The door opens and Abby is standing on the other side.  “Uh hey Tobin.  Did Alex invite you?”  

Tobin nods, “Yeah. I assumed she had cleared it with everyone though.” She looks back at her car.  “I can go if it’s not cool.”  She nervously bites her lip until she sees Abby smile.

“No.  Stay,” Abby commands, stepping back to give Tobin space to enter.  “Come on, help me grab some more drinks.”

They walk into the kitchen and Abby starts loading drinks into Tobin’s arms before grabbing some of her own.  They walk out the back door and Tobin sees most of the girls are splashing around in the pool or lounging in chairs along the side.  Abby leads her over to a table and helps her set all of the drinks down.  Before Tobin can turn back around to get a better look at her surroundings, she feels two arms wrap around her and her back becomes wet.

“You’re late,” the person behind her says.

“The queen is never late.  Everyone else is simply early,” Tobin grins as she turns around, trying very hard not to focus on Alex’s bikini.  “Also I had to drive my brother to a play date last minute.”  Tobin looks down at her clothes, “You got my shirt wet.”

Alex smirks, taking the white snapback off of Tobin’s head, tossing it towards a row of chairs. She then takes a step back, “So?”  Alex walks over to the table of food and grabs a chip, dipping it in the guacamole, before popping it into her mouth, eyeing Tobin.

Tobin walks over to the lounge chairs and drops her Nike drawstring bag next to her tossed hat. She reaches her arms across her waist and pulls her tank top off, dropping it on her stuff. “Oh it’s on.”

Alex sees the look in Tobin’s eyes and quickly runs to the pool, cannon balling in while screaming.  Tobin dives in seconds after her and wraps her arms around Alex’s waist underwater.

Ali walks up to Abby who is still standing near the table, “You see what I see right?”

“Yeah,” Abby nods.  “Pretty soon they might be the only ones who don’t see it.  Alex was in denial when I brought it up.”

“Do we know if Tobin is ‘straight’?” Ali asks, adding air quotes.

“I mean if she is, she is the gayest, straight person but I could understand her not wanting to come out to the whole school.  She deals with a bunch of shit already being on a guy’s team.”

“Yeah, well, I guess we just have to wait.”

“Yep.  How are you and Ash doing?”

“We’re doing good.  She was a little drunk last night but that was fun.”  Ali smirks and gets a little red.

“Ew Krieger.  Don’t need to know your sex life.”

“Oh yeah like you don’t tell me about your sex life at all.”

“Abby’s having sex?”  They turn around and see Sydney walking behind them.  “So does that mean those _were_ hickies the other day?”

Abby smiles and shakes her head, walking away towards Christie.  Ashlyn walks over taking the spot next to Ali as Sydney stares after Abby before heading to where Megan is standing.  “Wanna go swimming Al?”

Ali looks around, before turning and in a low voice, “I much preferred swimming with you last night... Alone... Naked.”  Ali pats Ashlyn’s chest and walks away heading inside to find her dad.

After Ken comes out to cook all of the food, he lets Ali know that him and Deb are going out to movie and dinner.  Ali hugs him before calling dinner.  People sit in groups all around the patio.  Ashlyn sits down next to Tobin on a bench while Abby takes the other side.  

Tobin looks at both of them and smiles nervously.  “Uh hey guys, what’s up?”  Tobin looks around for Alex but she is still inside with Ali, helping her get more buns.

The two girls look at each other with mischievous smiles then back down at Tobin.  Ashlyn starts, “We want to know what your intentions with Alex are.”

Tobin starts to choke on her burger.  Abby pats her on the back and hands her a drink.  “Well that gives us that answer.  Do you ever plan on doing anything about it?”

Tobin shakes her head while she takes a big sip of her Dr. Pepper.  “No.”

“Why not?” Ashlyn asks honestly.

“Um she kind of just broke up with Servando... a guy.”  Tobin gestures to herself, “Which I am not.”

“We know, Tobin,” Ashlyn looks up at Abby who nods before continuing, “We’re both queer, too.”

Tobin looks back and forth between them a few times, shocked. “Wait like you’re dating?”  The two look from Tobin to each other before they start cracking up.

“What’s so funny?”  They all look up to see Alex standing in front of them with a plate of food.  Tobin looks between the two taller girls.

“Nothing Al, just getting to know your new little friend over here,” Abby responds.  “We’ll talk more later, Tobin.”  The two stand up and walk away.  

“Were they harassing you?” Alex asks .

“No, we’re all good,” Tobin replies as she watches Ashlyn and Abby sit down with Hope, Ali, and a few others.

Alex nods, “Al-right,” looking at Tobin skeptically.  “Come on let’s go eat with Cheney, HAO, and Amy.”  Alex leads her over to the other girls and they sit down next to each other on one of the poolside lounge chairs.   Once Alex finishes her burger, she turns, leans back and puts one leg on each side of Tobin. Tobin looks down at Alex’s bare leg draped across her lap before looking back up at Heather but her focus on anything but the words coming out of her mouth.  ‘ _Keep it together.  She’s wearing snowpants and jacket, not a bikini.  A very small bikini._ ’  Tobin bites her lip and when she feels eyes on her, she looks up towards the house.  She finds Abby, Ashlyn, and Ali looking at her.  Ali is smiling, Ashlyn is smirking, and Abby is raising an eyebrow.

Tobin picks up Alex’s leg and grabs the empty plates, heading to the kitchen after mumbling something about the bathroom.  The three older girls stand up and follow her in as she passes.  Tobin puts the plates in the garbage and turns around, letting her head fall back.  “I don’t know what to do.”  She groans and leans back against the counter top.

Ali starts to clean up the kitchen while Ashlyn jumps up on the counter next to her.  “Seriously Ashlyn,” she complains.  “You could help.” Ashlyn gives her a puppy dog look but Ali glares back and puts her hand on her hip.

Tobin watches the interaction, “Okay, so you two are dating?” she asks pointing between the two. Abby laughs while Ashlyn nods, leaning over to Ali and kissing her cheek.  The four start cleaning the kitchen.

“Does she know that you’re into girls?” Ali asks.  Tobin shakes her head.  “Well that would be a good place to start.”

“Yeah, I mean I told her about my girlfriend and she didn’t care so you don’t need to worry about her being weirded out,” Abby adds.

“How do I do that?  How does that conversation come up?  It’s not like I can just be like, ‘Alex, I’m into chicks’.”

“Why not?” Ashlyn asks. “It worked for me,” she continues, adding a wink.  Ali hits her as she passes by, moving towards the fridge.

“Ugh.  I don’t know.   What’s the point anyways?  It’s not going to change anything.  She’s still going to be straight.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Tobin.  She’s pretty touchy feely with you.” Ali says.  “She did just put her legs around you while you both are wearing bathing suits.”

Tobin blushes, looking down, seeing her bare stomach.   She ignores the question and changes the subject, “So what else is on today’s agenda or is this it?”

“We were going to do s’mores in the fire pit later and a few games maybe.  Do you want to stay?” Ali asks.

“I mean if you guys want to have just the team I totally understand.  I’ve already intruded enough.”

“No, Tobin, stay.  I like watching Alex try to still tell herself she’s straight while she throws herself all over you.” Ashlyn says with a laugh.

Tobin immediately feels her face heat up.  “She’s not… doing that.” The three all give her a skeptical look.  Tobin runs her hand through her damp, wavy hair, looking out the window.  “I’m going to go grab some more… yeah,” Tobin mutters, quickly walking out the door before they can embarrass her anymore.  She sits down at the end of the chair that Alex is lounging on.

~~~

Ashlyn gets the fire going and quickly sets a marshmallow on fire.

“Ashlyn,” Ali scolds as Ashlyn blow it out with a huge smile on her face.

Tobin heads over and sits down next to Ashlyn as she puts her black marshmallow between two graham crackers.  Tobin carefully puts hers over the top of the flames, Ashlyn turns and smiles at the footballer. “It’s quicker if you just light it up.”  

Before either of them can say anything more Alex climbs over the back of the bench the two are sitting on and squeezes herself between them.  She puts her arm around Tobin and leans in, “So you having fun?”

Tobin blushes under Ashlyn’s watchful gaze then looks at Alex, “Yeah, actually.”

“Better than football parties?”

Tobin chuckles, “Different.  Less rough housing.”  She pulls her marshmallow away from the fire and makes her s’more.

“So you don’t want to switch to soccer?” Alex asks, watching Tobin intently.

“No, I’m good with football.”  Tobin takes a bite of her s’more.

“You’d miss your boyfriend too much?” Tobin starts choking on her food for the second time that day.  Ashlyn starts cracking up while Alex pats Tobin’s back.

Everyone is staring at Tobin by the time she recovers.  She takes a big swallow before turning to look at Alex.  “Boyfriend?” she croaks out.

“Aren’t you dating that big kid?” Alex asks her in a low voice as her teammates go back to their original conversations.  Ashlyn leans her elbows on her knees looking between the two with a huge grin on her face like this is her new favorite reality show.

“Um no I’m not dating any of them.  Which big kid?  That describes most of them.”

“One of the twins.  He had his arm around you most of the night and was whispering in your ear,” Alex asks.

“Connor?” Tobin laughs, “He was telling me what plays his brother just picked because he wanted me to win.  Trust me we’re not dating.  I already told you, I wouldn’t date any of them.”

“Oh.  He just was close with you all night and also at school sometimes.  I just assumed.”  Alex looks down, slightly embarrassed, while Tobin pops the rest of her s’more in her mouth.

Ashlyn glares at Tobin, mouthing ‘tell her’ to Tobin as she gets up and walks over to Ali.  

Tobin pushes her hair back out of her face and says, “It’s fine, Alex.  Just…there are a lot of reasons I wouldn’t date them.  I don’t like them like that.”

Alex smiles, looking up but before she can say anything Abby calls out, “Hey Tobin, do you have a football?”

Tobin looks up, startled by the outside voice. “Uh in my car probably,” she answers.  She stands up and heads over to Abby while Ashlyn sits back down with a new marshmallow already burned.

Alex watches Tobin head around the house with Abby.  “So that was smooth.”

Alex turns to Ash, “Huh?”

“So…uh would you like, miss your boyfriend if you spent more time with me?”  Ashlyn twirls a strand of her blonde hair around her finger with her head cocked to the side, smirking at Alex.

“That’s not what I was doing at all,” Alex lies, more to herself than Ashlyn.  Ashlyn gives her a look. “Stop it, Ashlyn.  Just let me be.”  Alex stands up but Ashlyn grabs her wrist.

“She’s single, just so you know.” Alex whips back around as Ashlyn drops her wrist.

“How do you know?” Alex asks quietly, very curious.

“We talk.  You’re not the only one who’s allowed to talk to her.”

Abby and Tobin come back around from the house with Tobin holding the football out in front of her talking to Abby.

The night wraps up with Tobin playing catch with Ashlyn and Abby in the corner of the yard while the rest of the girls talk.

Tobin realizes it’s getting late and heads over to her things, pulling on her shirt.  She walks over to Ali, thanking her for letting her crash the party.  She then calls out a loud goodbye, looking right at Alex as she says it.  She hears a chorus of goodbyes and starts heading around the house to her car.  She’s opening her door when she hears, “You were just going to leave without saying goodbye?”

Tobin smiles and turns to see Alex a few steps away with a sad smile.  “I did say goodbye, Alex.  I was looking right at you when I said it.”

“But I didn’t get a personal one.”  Alex steps closer.  

“You’re ridiculous.  Goodnight, Alex.  I will see you on Monday.”  Alex’s eyes flick down to Tobin’s lips, watching them shape out her name.  ‘ _Did her eye’s just…No. No way._ ’  

Alex open’s her arms slightly, “Can I at least get a hug?”

Tobin shakes her head at Alex’s ridiculousness but opens her arms up.  Alex quickly moves into Tobin and hugs her tightly. “I’m glad we’re not fighting anymore.”

Tobin smiles at the girl in her arms, “Me too.” Alex backs away and smiles shyly at Tobin.  Tobin smiles back, “Can I go now?”

“Oh yeah, sorry.  I’ll see you Monday?  Do you maybe want to sit with us at lunch again?”

“Sure, why not,” Tobin says, climbing into her car. She looks out her open door at Alex, “Thanks for inviting me.”  

Alex nods and closes Tobin’s door for her. She watches the older girl back out of the driveway with a final wave before heading back around the house to her friends.  Ashlyn walks over to the young forward, “You give her a kiss goodbye?”

Alex backhands Ashlyn in the stomach and walks away, unable to hide the small grin on her face.

~~~

Tobin gets to school a little late and runs into class just as the bell rings.  She high fives Dom as she sits down and pulls out the homework she had finished twenty minutes ago.  The day goes slowly and Tobin can’t wait for lunch. She walks into the caf shaking wood chippings out of her hair.  “Really Dom?” She asks for the tenth time in as many minutes.  He shrugs as they walk over to the soccer players.  Tobin sits down and Alex looks over at her, smiling at first then her face contorts into confusion.

“Uh Tobin, you got something in your hair.”  Tobin glares at Dom and flips him off.   Dom grins back while everyone just stares between the two.

“Sorry.  Dom poured wood shavings on me earlier.  Apparently I didn’t get them all out.”  Alex reaches up and starts plucking pieces out of Tobin’s hair.

Christen laughs, “You look like a monkey picking bugs out of her hair.”

Tobin puts her hands into her armpits and starts bouncing in her seat, making monkey noises.  Alex smiles but slaps her shoulder, making her stop, before continuing to pick the wood out of her hair.  Tobin pulls out her banana with the arm closer to Alex and keeps acting like a monkey with the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's 1 of the three things I will post today. Let me know how you like this chapter :D


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so late...I was going to post this so much earlier but I also didn't plan on spending two hours in traffic so there's that :D  
> Well anyways, here's the third installment of the day (the second one was chapter 1 of the Don't Forget Me sequel). Hope everyone had a lovely day.

Tobin walks into the locker room Wednesday after practice and slumps down into her locker.  Alex looks up from tying her shoes and notices Tobin leaning over, elbows on her legs, still in her pads with her helmet dangling from her fingers between her legs.  Alex gets up and heads over to her.  She kneels in front of her, trying to catch her eyes.  “What’s wrong?”

Tobin looks up with a small smile, “I did it.”

Alex looks at her confused, “Um, did what?”

“From the fourty.  I kicked the ball, it went in.  No wind.  Fifty yards.  I did it.  Twice.” Alex quickly hugs the girl, awkwardly around the bulky pads, before pulling away.

“That’s amazing Tobin.  I told you it would happen.”

“You did,” Tobin says with a large smile.

“Don’t think this means that you’re going to win though.  This is still all me.”

“Okay, Alex,” Tobin shakes her head.  “I don’t even know if I could do it in a game though.  Doing it on the field by yourself is one thing but with people everywhere, it’s much different.”

“You can do it anywhere.  Can you show me tomorrow, after practice?” Alex asks, sitting on the bench while Tobin stands up.

“Actually, since it’s a bi-week, I’m going on a college visit.”  Tobin starts to pull off her pads.

“Oh,” Alex says, trying not to show her disappointment, “that’s cool.”

Tobin shrugs as she pushes her pads into her locker.  “It’s DIII but I don’t think I could get anywhere DI and DII.  I don’t think I’m big enough.  I also might want a smaller school.”

“Wait you’re going there for football?”

“Possibly.  DIII can’t really recruit more than like hey, come check us out and they slightly help get you in but like no athletic scholarships.”

“That’s still really great Tobin,” Alex genuinely smiles.  “How long are you going to be gone?”

“I leave tomorrow morning, watch their practice, hang out with the team Friday, they have a game Saturday, then come home Sunday.”

“That’s a long stay.”  Tobin nods and pulls a towel out of her bag. “Well if I’m not going to see you for four days, can we hang out tonight?” Alex asks nervously.

Tobin looks up from taking off her shoes.  “Uh sure, what do you want to do?”

“We could go see if Marge is working?”  Alex offers

Tobin smiles, “Alright.  Just let me shower.”  Tobin heads towards the showers and Alex back to her locker.  When Kelley finishes getting ready she moves over to Alex who is still sitting next to Tobin’s locker.  

“So does this count as a date?”

“What?  Kelley…What?”

“You’ve been crushing, Al.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Alex, you don’t have to admit it if you don’t want to but I just want you to know that I think you two would make a cute couple.”

Alex groans and leans back against the locker.  “Kel.  I don’t understand it.  I just am drawn to her.”

Kelley smiles and puts her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “That’s okay kid. You have a crush.  It’s cute.”  They hear the squeaking of flip flops and turn, seeing Tobin walking by them in just her towel.  Kelley turns to Alex and sees the young striker biting her lip and staring at Tobin.  Kelley elbows her as Tobin looks up and smiles at them.  “Have fun,” Kelley says quiet enough so only Alex can hear.

~~~

They climb into Tobin’s car and she starts driving towards the diner.  They sit down in a booth across from each other.  Alex smiles at Tobin while the older girl looks around for Marge.  “So is it your top choice?”

Tobin turns back to Alex, “Uh not really.  I don’t have one yet.  I haven’t really put much thought into it.  They just offered to host me for the weekend so I figured why not.”

Alex smiles as a young, male waiter comes over and takes their orders.  After he leaves, Alex picks back up the conversation, “So I’m pretty sure I’m going to win.  I’ll go easy on you if you call it now.”

“You’re just scared that I’m going to win.  You just don’t have my superb athletic ability and that’s okay.  Not everyone can be this strong.” Tobin pulls up the sleeve of her t-shirt and flexes her bicep.

Alex laughs, “Damn.  Your arms are like little toothpicks.”

“Ouch.  That hurts.”

“You gonna cry about it?”

“I very well just might.  You would like that wouldn’t you?”

“I mean, are you going to cry when you lose? Because that means I should get used to seeing it.”

Tobin shakes her head as her milkshake is set down in front of them.  “Why must you be so mean?”

“You love it and you know it.” Tobin shrugs and open her straw, taking a long sip.  They talk about school until their food arrives.  Tobin stuffs french fries into her grilled cheese and Alex shakes her head while pouring syrup over her pancakes.  She stuffs a few pieces into her mouth and tries to work up the courage to ask this next question.  “So I know you say now you never would date any of the guys on the team but did it happen before?  Or like have they ever tried?”

Tobin shakes her head while swallowing, “Nope.”

“None of them ever hit on you?”

“Well, at first, they made some pretty crude jokes.  It was really hard to hear as a freshman with guys that were like eighteen saying them to me.”

“What?”

“A lot of them had a problem with me at first but it got better.  They finally just saw me as a teammate and now it’s no different than it is with your team.”

“Well what about you?  Any crushes?”

“Nope.  Not really my type?”

“What’s your type?” Alex waits expectantly, food on the end of her fork forgotten while Tobin takes a few bites.

“Women,” Tobin answers quietly.  She looks up at Alex uncertainly waiting for her to respond.

‘ _Oh my God._ ’  “Well that would explain why you’re not attracted to them,” Alex states with a smirk. Tobin nods, smiling slightly at how Alex doesn’t even bat an eye.  “Do they know?”

“Dom and a few know officially but it’s not like I have made an announcement.  Although they apparently had a team meeting last year about it so I’m pretty sure they all know unofficially.”

Alex lets out a quick laugh, “They had a meeting?”

“Yeah that was my reaction, well it was more anger than laughter but yeah, weird.  According to Dom though, it was about how they would just support me against the guys from other schools.”

They sit in silence for a minute, each slowly eating the meal in front of them.

“So do you have a girlfriend?” Alex asks anxiously.  

Tobin wipes her mouth and tosses her napkin on her now empty plate.  “No.”  Alex smiles then quickly takes a sip of her water to try and hide it.  

The waiter comes over and places the check down.  Tobin reaches into her pocket, pulling out her wallet, but  Alex grabs the check quickly, “No.  I invited you and you paid last time... for eight people.  I got this.”  Alex stands up and heads to the counter to pay.  Tobin follows, stuffing her wallet back into her pockets.

They get into Tobin’s car after Alex pays and Tobin looks over at her, “So do you want me to take you home?”  

“Well I was thinking we could keep talking,” Alex says, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.  “It’s not too cold out.  Do you want to teach me how to throw a football?”

Tobin smiles and starts the car.  “I’ll have you wanting to switch to football in no time.”

“Yeah, that’s probably not happening.”

“Oh, is princess afraid of messing up her hair in a helmet?”

“Lot of trash talk there from a toothpick.”

Tobin pulls into the parking lot of the school and parks her car.  “I can take you whenever, wherever, Morgan.”

They both hop out and Tobin pulls out a football from her trunk.  They walk towards the edge of the fields while Tobin holds the ball out in front of her and shows Alex how to properly spread out her fingers over the laces.  She tucks the ball under her other arm and goes over how to snap the wrist to get a spiral.  After a minute, Tobin hands the ball to Alex and jogs a few yards away.

Alex tries to grip the ball as Tobin had showed her and throws it.  It’s a little wobbly but makes it to Tobin easily.  “Wow that was really good,” Tobin congratulates.

“I’m just amazing at everything I do, so of course that was good.”  Tobin shakes her head as she tosses it lightly.  Alex fumbles the ball and drops it.

Tobin laughs, “Yep.  Great at everything.”

Alex picks it up, laughing, and whips it at Tobin. “Shut up, Heath.”

Tobin ducks just in time, “Woah, easy there. You almost took my head off.”

“You’re fine ya big baby.  Go get the ball,” Alex says, motioning her away a huge smile.

Tobin shakes her head and jogs over to get the ball, tossing it back to Alex.  Alex catches it and takes her time before throwing it back.  “So have you ever had a girlfriend before?”

Tobin catches the ball before responding, “No.  I didn’t really know anyone else at the school that was gay until like last week.”  Tobin tosses it back underhand so Alex can catch it.

“That’s good that you met someone.  How did you meet them?” Alex throws it back, trying to figure out who Tobin is talking about.

“Don’t grip the ball so tightly.  Looser and it won’t wobble so much.  And it was just more I recently found out they weren’t straight.”

They throw the ball back and forth a few times in silence before Alex asks, “So do you like them?”

Tobin spins the ball in her hands a few times,  “No.  Not like that anyways.  They all have girlfriends, but it’s nice to know there’s hope.” She looks up from the ball at Alex,  tossing it underhand to her.

Alex catches it and looks back at Tobin, “Anyone catching your eye?”

Tobin looks right into Alex’s blue eyes.  ‘ _Yes!_ ’ “Not really.”

Alex face slightly falls, “Too bad.”  Tobin nods and catches the ball.  They talk about classes until Alex gets a text from her mom asking her if she’s going to be home soon.  They get back into Tobin’s car and head towards her house.

The car comes to a stop in Alex’s driveway.  Alex leans over and hugs Tobin who is again too shocked to return the hug until Alex has already pulled away.

“I’ll see you Monday.  Text me how it’s going,” Alex says as she opens the door and hops out of the car, grabbing her bag from the back and waving to Tobin before walking into the house.


	21. Chapter 21

Alex looks at her phone after dinner and sees a text from Tobin.  

**The Queen: Okay so their practices are intense**

She quickly responds.

**Alex: In a bad way?**

**The Queen: I don’t know.  I don’t think so.  It’s just different**

**The Queen: Probably cause it’s college.  I guess I would get used to it if I came here.  It just doesn’t seem fun**

**Alex: How’s everything else going?**

**The Queen: Good I just got back from dinner.  The team doesn’t seem super cool with me but we’ll see**

**Alex: You’ll win them over**

**Alex: Just use your weirdo charm. It somehow works on everyone**

**The Queen: Including you?**

**Alex: Unfortunately :P**

**The Queen: Hey :( you love hanging out with me and you know it**

**Alex: Yeah... I don’t know why**

**The Queen: Okay I’m apparently going to a party.  I’ll talk to you later.**

**Alex: Oooh college party.  Have fun**

**The Queen:  You could get a ride and actually make it fun.**

**Alex: Oh sure.  I’ll get back just in time for school tomorrow.**

**The Queen: You could just cut school**

**Alex: Ha.  Funny**

**The Queen: Oh right.  How could I forget. Little miss goody two shoes would never cut school**

**Alex: It would be fun but I could never**

~~~

**The Queen: So turns out it was an acapella concert**

**Alex: So raging party?  Good thing I didn’t come down**

**The Queen: Lol yeah**

**The Queen: It was actually really cool.  The noises they can make with their mouths is crazy**

**Alex: So you’re having fun?  Also that’s kinda cool that they took you there**

**The Queen: Yeah but that wasn’t the team.  Since I’m not a dude a girl is hosting me**

**Alex: That’s cool.  Is she nice?**

**The Queen:  Yeah.  She’s a sophomore so she’s not too much older and she was in the concert**

**Alex: Nice**

**The Queen: Yeah.  She’s super chill. I’m actually going to go to practice with her tomorrow so I need to go to sleep.  She’s on the crew team. We have to go to the vans at 5 am**

**Alex: Oh that sounds way too early.  Goodnight**

**The Queen: Night lex**

~~~

“Alex you’ve been staring at your phone since you sat down.  What’s going on?” Kelley asks.

Alex looks up at the lunch table, “Uh nothing.  Sorry what’s up?”

Kelley reaches over and grabs Alex’s phone, looking at the screen before Alex can take it back.  “Who are these people?”  She brings it closer to her face.  “Oh wait, is that Tobin?”  Alex snatches her phone back, starting to blush.  “Aleeexxx, why are you stalking Tobin’s Facebook?”

“I’m not stalking.  It came up when I was bored in class earlier.”

“Okay, so why are you still looking at it now?” Lauren asks already knowing the answer.

Alex looks around at her friends then down at her lap, before quietly answering, “Because I maybe, kinda like her….”

Sydney smirks and leans closer, stage whispering, “You what?”

“I think I might like her,” Alex responds a little louder but still quietly.  Kelley wraps her arm around Alex’s shoulder, giving Alex a comforting smile.

“So who are the people in the picture?” Kelley asks, turning the phone in Alex’s hand so she can see it easier.

“I think it’s the crew team at the school Tobin’s visiting.”

“Crew?  She rows too?” Christen asks, confused.

“No.  They just needed a girl to host her and it ended up being someone on the crew team.  Probably wanted an athlete.”

“Okay.  Makes sense,” Lauren reasons. “So why are you staring at the picture?”

Alex hands the phone back to Kelley, “The blonde is hanging on her.  Also there’s a picture of just the two of them with Tobin wearing her crew jacket and it’s tagged as my new best friend.”

Meghan grabs the phone, “Have you stalked this girl yet?”  When Alex doesn’t respond, everyone looks up from the phone they are peering at to her.  Her cheeks start to burn up as she starts pulling the skin off the grape in her hand.

“Wha’d you find,” Sydney asks curiously.

“Well,” she sighs, “Courtney is the one who tagged her so from there I went through her facebook and then when I googled her, the roster page came up.”

“Surprised you didn’t check instagram or twitter,” Kelley mutters, clicking through photos on Alex’s phone.

“It was private,” Alex says sheepishly.  

“What did you figure out,” Sydney repeats.

Alex sighs,  “She’s a sophomore there, from California, she’s 5’9 according to the roster and has two dogs.  Also, I’m like positive she’s gay.”

“What makes you think that?” Amy asks.

“Because of this,” Meghan answers before Alex can respond.  She pulls the phone from Kelley’s hand and holds it out for Amy to see.

The photo is of Courtney in all white holding a rainbow flag behind her.  A brunette, also dressed in all white, is clinging to her while they kiss.  Alex nods sadly as the phone is passed around.

“Alex you know that that doesn’t mean anything is going on with Tobin,” Christen says to the nervous forward.  “The pictures with Tobin are probably just as friends.”

“It took a year for Tobin to talk to me.  It hasn’t even been 24 hours and look how close they are.  I don’t have pictures with her at all.”

“Well she kind of had to talk to you ‘cause of the bowling thing and she is being forced to live with this girl so it just has to do with that,” Lauren explains.  “Seriously don’t worry about this chick until something else happens.”

Alex sighs but nods her head.

Christen smiles and holds the phone out to Alex.  “ _Someone_ texted you.”  The phone buzzes again as Alex takes it and switches over to her messages.

**The Queen: Lunch time. Hopefully you see this before your lunch is over though I guess you’ll see them again after school so that doesn’t really matter but I wanted to wish you guys good luck at your game**

**The Queen: So anyways good luck.  Win and stuff.  Just don’t score too much.**

Alex smiles and quickly starts typing a response.

**Alex: Thanks.  I’ll only score 3 times :P**

**Alex: What are you up to?  How’s college life**

She looks up to find everyone staring at her.  Alex blushes and glances back down at her phone, “She says good luck.”

“To all of us or just you?” Amy questions with a grin.

“To you guys.  She told me not to score too much,” Alex replies as she looks back down at her phone.

**The Queen: Really living the college life.  Just fell asleep in my first college class.  It’s really no different than high school except here the teacher doesn’t care**

**The Queen: Waking up before the sun is too early but the sunrise is really pretty**

Alex’s phone buzzes again and a picture pops up at the bottom of her messages.  She clicks on it to make it bigger.  The sunrise brightly illuminates the top half of the picture over trees that grow along the river bank at the bottom of the photo.

~~~

**Alex: How’s it going?**

**The Queen: The game is about to start actually so we’ll see.  Their record isn’t that great**

**Alex: Is that important to you?**

**The Queen: I don’t know.  Let’s see how the game goes.**

**The Queen: How was your game last night?**

**Alex: It was good.  Thanks for the cookies by the way?  How did you get them into the locker room?**

**The Queen: Little elves**

**Alex: Dom?**

**The Queen: Maybe**

**Alex: Lol. I’ve got some work to do so you enjoy the game.  We can talk later**

**The Queen: That’s another great thing about being here is the math homework I didn’t get was super easy for Courtney so I had it done in like 30 minutes**

Alex stares at the text before pushing her phone away and pulling out her history book.

A few hours later Alex gets another text from Tobin.

**The Queen: So apparently I’m going to a real college party tonight**

Alex stares at it for a second before responding.

**Alex: Are you sure this time?**

**The Queen: Yes.  I confirmed.  There will be alcohol present but I am not allowed to drink it.**

**The Queen: Well Courtney said she didn’t care if I drink it, but the not allowed part is what she is supposed to say and she can’t provide me with it.  But yeah.**

**Alex: Okay.  Well have fun**

**The Queen: Are you ok?**

**Alex: Yeah why**

**The Queen: You seem upset**

Alex groans at how Tobin can tell through text.

**Alex: Nope all good**

**The Queen: If you say so**

**Alex: I do.  So did they win?**

**The Queen: Not even close.  I don’t think I want to come here**

**Alex: Because they lost?**

**The Queen: No**

**The Queen: The people are nice.  Well the women’s crew team is nice.  The guys are pretty stand offish and those are really the only two groups of people I met**

**The Queen: I just don’t want to have to fight for a spot again soley based on me being a girl**

**Alex: That’s totally reasonable.  What about everything else?  Like if you decide not to play**

**The Queen: Still on the fence.  It is the first school.  I don’t know what else is out there**

**Alex: Be safe at the party, watch what you drink and stuff.**

**The Queen: I will be drinking water from my water bottle.  I think I’m safe**

**Alex: Just don’t do anything stupid okay**

**The Queen: Yes MOM**

**Alex: :P**

**Alex: Let me know how it goes**

~~~

Alex sits in her living room with Ashlyn watching Stick It.  Right after Hailey gets soda thrown at her Alex bursts out, “I like Tobin.”

Ashlyn looks over at her skeptically her hand paused between the bowl of popcorn and her mouth.  “What was that, Al?”

“I like Tobin,” Alex repeats with confidence.

“As a friend?” Ashlyn asks knowing that’s not what Alex means.

“Well yeah, but more I think.”

Ashlyn puts her arm around Alex’s neck and pulls her in close.  “Congrats kid.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“You could tell her.”

“And make our friendship super awkward?”

“Or make it super sexy.”  Ashlyn winks as Alex shoves her away.  “Oh come on Alex.  I see you in the locker room.  You practically drool whenever she is changing and don’t even get me started on what you look like when she is coming back from the shower.”  

“I do _NOT_ drool.” Ashlyn holds up a finger and pulls her phone out.  After a few seconds she turns the phone to Alex.  Alex sees a picture of herself sitting on the bench in front of her locker.  She is staring towards something out of the shot and biting her lip.

Alex pushes it away and leans back into the couch, groaning.  Ashlyn sends a quick text to Ali.

**Ashlyn: Hey I’m going to tell Alex about us.  Tobin related.  Is that okay?**

It only takes a minute for her to respond.

**Ali: OMG YES!!! Details tonight when you come over**

Ashlyn shakes her head at her girlfriend and looks back towards Alex.

“Hey Alex.  I need to tell you something pretty serious.”

Alex sits up and looks at Ashlyn.  “What is it?”

“I’m dating Ali.”

“Wait like you and Kriegs? Dating?” Alex asks, confused.  Ashlyn nods and waits for Alex to respond.  Alex sits quietly for a moment as she processes the news and then a giant smile comes over her face.  She jumps over kneeling on the cushions right next to the blonde.  “OH MY GOD.  When did that happen? Ash that’s so cool.  You guys are so cute.”  Alex sits silent for a second waiting for Ashlyn to respond.  As Ashlyn opens her mouth Alex cuts her off, “That explains so much.  When did it start?  How did it start?”

“If you stop talking I can answer.”  She waits for a moment, seeing if Alex is going to interrupt again.  When she stays quiet, Ashlyn starts, “Right before school ended last year, she invited me to go swimming and stay over.  Kyle might have left us with some really good whiskey which we cracked open a few rounds into truth or dare. I had said truth and she asked me if I was into girls.  I said yes.  The next round I said dare and she dared me to kiss her.  I gave her a quick peck and I’m just so irresistible that she needed more.  After that the game ended and stuff happened.”

“Damn,” Alex exclaims, “Kriegs has game.”  Ashlyn burst out laughing and couldn’t wait to tell Ali.


	22. Chapter 22

The next Monday, Alex is running the track when she notices Tobin walk through the gate and head onto the field.  She watches the older girl walk towards the end zone and lean back against the yellow post.  Alex runs another half lap before walking over to her friend.

“Hey, Tobin.”

Tobin looks over to the girl with a large smile.  “Hey.”  She pats the ground next to her and Alex sits down.

“So, I haven’t heard from you since you were going to the party.  How was the rest of your visit?”

Tobin shrugs, “It was okay.  I don’t think I want to go there.”  

Alex watches her for a few seconds before commenting, “Well at least you know that.”  Tobin nods, looking up at the bar above them.   Alex pulls out her phone to check the time.  “Hey, we should go in soon or we’re going to be late.”

Tobin hops up with a large smile, “Race ya.”  She takes off, hopping over the fence.  Alex quickly gets up and chases after her, using the gate but still easily catching Tobin halfway back to the school.  Alex races by and is at the door 45 seconds before Tobin.

Alex leans against the wall smiling as Tobin jogs up to her, “Damn the name baby horse really does fit you.”

Alex lightly shoves Tobin, “Oh shut up.  You’re just a sore loser.  You cheated and I still won.”

Tobin holds her hand over her mouth in mock offense as she walks through the door.  “Cheat? Me? I would never.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” The warning bell rings.  “Alright, Tobin. I’ll see you later?”  Tobin nods as they part ways.

“Don’t kill anyone in kickball.”

“I can’t make that promise.  I play to win and if someone’s head is in the way of a home run it’s their own fault.” Tobin shakes her head as she heads towards the stairs.

When she gets to class she sits down next to Dom, rubbing his head.

“Hey Toby.  Why did you ignore me yesterday?” he asks, eyebrow raised.

“Cause you were asking stupid questions,” Tobin groans.

“How is me asking you about a girl a stupid question?” Dom whispers loudly at Tobin.

“Because it is.”

“Tobin she was hanging all over you in that picture.”

“She was really drunk.  I was holding her up.  Also, I probably won’t ever see her again.”

“All the more reason something could have happened. Practice makes perfect.”

Tobin flips Dom off while bending down to grab her notebook from her bag.

~~~

Alex sits down in her seat at the lunch with a groan.  Kelley looks at Meghan and Christen with a raised eyebrow before looking over at Alex, “What’s the matter Al.”

“I think Tobin hooked up with someone on Saturday.”

“What?”  all three ask at once.

“There were more pictures,” she says, looking around the room for the girl in question.

“Is it the crew girl?  What did Tobin say?”  Kelley asks.

“She didn’t say anything, but the girl, Courtney, posted more photos from a party she took Tobin to on Saturday.”  Alex says as Sydney, Amy, and Lauren sit down.

“What are we talking about?” Lauren asks.

“Alex is trying to explain to us how a few pictures with someone equals sex,” Meghan replies.

“I’m not saying they had sex, just that it looks like something happened.  They were sharing a room, alcohol was involved, and look.”  Alex pulls out her phone and after a few seconds turns it so the rest of the table can see.  

Sydney grabs it, examining the few pictures closer, “Alex, Tobin is holding this girl up and the other ones are them sitting next to each other on a couch.  They are both fully clothed in all of the pictures and not touching each other inappropriately.”

“She was supposed to text me after that party Saturday and I didn’t talk to her until this morning.”  Alex takes her phone back as she sees Tobin and Dom walk into the room.  She smiles at Tobin who nods her head before heading over to the football area.  

“Alex you don’t have to worry about Tobin hooking up with someone else.  She’s been eyeing you for at least a month,” Lauren says, pulling Alex’s attention back to the table.

“That’s just as a friend Chen.”

“Oh so she’s eye fucking you as a friend?  I’ll try to remember that next time I try not to gag before practice,” Kelley says before stuffing her face.

“She’s not eye fucking me.”

“Sure she’s not,” Meghan adds.  “Do me a favor today in the locker room.  Walk over to her shirtless and see how many words she can string together.”

Sydney chuckles, “Better yet just a bra and underwear and she won’t be able to get a single word out.”

“What?  No.  I can’t do that,”Alex says, astounded at her friends.

“Why not?  You do it with us all the time.” Christen asks, looking up from her homework.

“Because I don’t want to date any of you,” Alex says quietly.

“Exactly, Al,” Lauren states.  “Your judgement is clouded unlike ours.”

~~~

Tobin bounces on her toes, glances up at the scoreboard. HOME, 24.  00:14.  AWAY, 23. QTR, 4. DOWN, 2. TO GO, 10. BALL ON, 43.

She turns back to the field, watching her team break from the huddle, their once white jerseys green and brown from the rain and mud they are playing in.  Matt calls for the snap and the play starts.  He tosses the ball five yards up field to an open Ryan who catches it, turns, and starts running up the sideline.  He makes it over the 50 yard line before anyone is able to catch up to him.  He is tackled out of bounds at the 31 yard line.

“Time out,” her coach calls before jogging over to her.  She looks up at him.  “Can you make it?” he asks.

Tobin nods as she looks up at the scoreboard again. ‘ _31 yard line. 41 yards to the field goals. 48 yards from where I’ll kick it._ ’  “I’ve done it a few times.  Never in a game though.”

“They’ve been shutting down our long plays all day.  Can you make it?”

Tobin nods, “Yeah.”

Her coach slaps her helmet.  “Alright.  Well get out there.”  Tobin nods and takes a few slow steps out onto the soggy field before jogging out to the ball, followed by the rest of the field goal unit.

“Okay,” she says as they surround her.  “Keep them back and down for as long as you can so I can get this kick off.”  They all nod and after breaking they head to their spots.  Tobin slowly paces out her her steps.  “You got this,” she says to herself quietly.  “Long and hard.” She lets out a slow breath, looking to her holder and nodding to start the play.

Seconds later the ball hits the ground and rolls out the back.  The two officials step out from under the goal posts, waving their arms.  Miss.  The final whistle blows and the home team starts cheering.

Tobin rips the chin strap off and pulls her helmet off.  She walks through a few of the celebrating players, shaking their hands before moving to the sideline.  She grabs a gatorade bottle and sinks down onto the bench.  She squirts it over her head already soaked head until it’s empty.

Matt walks over and sits down next to her.  “This isn’t on you, Tobs.”

“Sure feels like it,” she grumbles.

He puts his hand on her leg and squeezes.  “It was a long kick.”

“I’ve made it before,” she says and wipes away some water that drips into her eyes.

“Shitty field.  Come on, coach needs to talk.”  They both stand up and move to the growing group of players surround their coach.

~~~

Alex sits in the locker room staring at her phone, watching the minutes tick by.  She had already put up Tobin’s five stickers and was just waiting for the girl, herself, to walk through the door.

A few minutes before 10, over twenty minutes after Alex had sat down, she hears the door open.  She looks over to the entryway but no one rounds the corner.  The door loudly bangs closed and Alex almost thinks it was just someone opening the door randomly except for the sound of breathing.  Alex stands and slowly makes her way over.  She finds Tobin sitting on the floor, back against the wall just inside the doorway.   Tobin doesn’t notice her with her face buried into her arms that rest against her raised knees.

Alex slides down the wall next to her.  Tobin doesn’t even look up as she mumbles into her arms, “Why are you here?”

“Because I saw how upset you were and wanted you to know that you had a great game regardless of that one play.”

Tobin turns to face Alex, resting her cheek on her arm.  “But I missed.  I’ve kicked the ball farther than that.  It barely made it into the endzone.”

“That field was more water than grass.  You missed this one time,” Alex comforts, placing her hand on Tobin’s damp back and rubbing small circles.  “I think that’s the first one I’ve ever seen you miss.”

“Doubt it,” Tobin mutters.

“Regardless.  You did great.”  

Tobin gives her a sad smile and hugs her knees a little tighter.  

“Why don’t you go take a long shower then you can drive me home or to the party or where ever you want,” Alex offers.

Tobin chuckles.  “So you had someone drop you off here just so I could give you a ride home?”

Alex shrugs.  “Maybe.” She pulls her hand away, wiping it off on her jeans.  “But I still suggest a shower.  You’re covered in mud.”  She uses one finger to pat Tobin’s knee on the only spot she can see that is still somewhat clean, getting an even bigger smile.

~~~

Tobin wakes up to a few texts from Dom.

**DD: Hey are you coming?**

**DD: So I heard Alex was waiting for you ...**

**DD: How did that go?**

**DD: Let me know if you want to chill this weekend**

**Tobs: Sorry.  I was just tired and wanted to go home.  I gave her a ride home first**

**Tobs: I know she was just being friendly but it was nice to have someone that’s not on the team to talk to**

**Tobs: Yeah.  Invite the boys.  I’m up for whatever**

~~~

Tobin sits in her basement watching Dom and Jason play against Connor and Ryan.  Matt sits next to her, looking through his phone.

“Ugh,” he groans.  “My sister is so annoying.”

Tobin chuckles.  “What did she do this time?”

“Just her being a pain in my ass.  Why couldn’t I just have you for a sister?”

Tobin shakes her head.  “I would have kicked your butt everyday.”

He starts laughing and stands up slightly, just enough to move over and sit down on Tobin’s lap, putting his arm around her shoulder.   “You know you’re like a sister though right?.”  Tobin rolls her eyes and pushes him off of her.  His arm tightens around her neck and pulls her closer.  “Well you are.  At least I think of you as such, we all do, and that means I have a few important duties that seem to be coming up.”

Tobin pushes him again, looking up confused.  “What do you mean?”

“As an older brother it’s our job to intimidate anyone you’re going to date.  Make sure they are good enough for you.”

“But I’m not dating anyone.”  Tobin blushes, shifting uneasily.  

“Yeah not technically but you want to right?” he asks, raising an eyebrow while looking down at her.

Tobin twirls her thumbs around each other.  She opens her mouth a few times, but closes it each time, not sure what to say.  She finally gathers her thoughts and opens her mouth.

“YEEESSS!”

Tobin and Matt turn to see Ryan standing on the couch, hands in the air.  He then turns and points at Dom and Jason.  “Haha suckers.”

Tobin quickly hops up, thankful for the distraction and the ability to get away as she grabs Ryan’s arm and pulls him back from Connor.  “Leave him alone,” she instructs.  “You know he’s still a little sore about you beating him in arm wrestling.”

The rest of the boys laugh as Connor flips her off.  “Shut up.  You know Austin distracted me.”

~~~

Alex walks into lunch, stumbling slightly when she sees someone unexpected sitting at her table talking to Lauren, Christen, and Amy.  She walks over and sits down in her seat, across from the football player.  He turns from his conversation and smiles at Alex.

“Hi, Alex.”

“Uh hi…” Alex draws out, glancing at the other three confused.

“Connor,” he fills in with a kind smile.

Alex nods, “Right, sorry.”

He shrugs and continues smiling. “So I was sent over here on some official football business.”

“Oh-kay,” Alex wonders.  Kelley and Sydney sit down on either side of her and both look to Connor confused.

He just smiles back at them before focusing in on Alex.  He clears his throat and pulls out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.  “Full name.”

Alex’s face scrunches up in confusion as he pulls a pencil from behind his ear.  It hovers over the paper as he looks at Alex expectantly.

“Alexandra Patricia Morgan,” Kelley interjects from her right.

Connor writes down the answer.  “Okay.  How many people have you dated?”

“Three,” Sydney answers.  “More like one and a half because the first two were in middle school.”

“Syd,” Alex scolds while Connor furiously scribbles down every word.

“Have you ever cheated oaaAAHH-” he stands up, being pulled by his ear.

Tobin releases the pinched skin and grabs the paper off the table.  “Seriously?” she asks him.

“What did I do?” he asks innocently but the smirk on his face giving him away.

Tobin shakes her head and points to their table.  Connor rolls his eyes and turns back, “Ladies,” before moving back to his table.

Tobin finally looks around the table, her cheeks going red.  “Uh, sorry about that.”  She looks down at the paper in her hand for a moment.  “I’ll uh...see you guys later.”  Her eyes hover on Alex for a moment, before quickly turning away and walking to her own table.  She slaps the back of Connor’s head before sitting down and chucking the crumpled ball of paper at Dom.

~~~

On Wednesday, Alex smiles as she walks into the locker room with her teammates post game.  The music is turned up and she feels arms wrap around her waist from behind and lift her up.  “Still undefeated baby,” Ashlyn shouts, waving Alex’s around.

Carli looks over from where she sits on the bench to untie her shoe. “Hey Alex,” she calls. “I think you should come see this.”

Ashlyn drops Alex to her feet, and follows after her as she makes her way to Carli.  Once she standing a few feet away, Carli smirks and cocks her head in the direction of Alex’s locker.  Alex turns and immediately sees twenty balloons, designed like soccer balls, littering the floor and two dozen cupcakes, very obviously homemade, sitting on three paper plates along the bench.

Alex’s smiles grows as she walks over.  She steps over the balloons towards the cupcakes and sees a note taped to her locker.

_Sorry I couldn’t stick around for your game.  I have a huge paper due tomorrow that I was going to work on last night but the cupcakes took a little longer than expected... Did you know that if you don’t set a timer it is easy to forget to check on them and they burn?_

_When I walked by earlier you guys were winning so I hope that is still the case or this all will seem kinda dumb._

_Well anyways I know you had a great game and I’ll see you tomorrow.  Enjoy the cupcakes and share them with everyone_ _EXCEPT Pinoe_ _.  She’ll know why._

_T_

_Oh and tell Syd that Dom helped with this (aka his fault we burned them)_

Alex looks up to see Kelley biting into a cupcake and smirking at her.  She then sees a blonde head pop up behind Kelley’s shoulder.

A devilish grin spreads across Megan’s face. “Cupcakes.”   As she starts to move around Kelley Alex holds up a hand.

“Hold on.” Megan stops and looks up confused.  “Tobin said you couldn’t have any and you would know why,” Alex explains.

Megan’s jaw drops.  “How did she know that was me?”

Alex gives her a strange look.  “What did you do?” she asks confused as Kelley picks up two plates of cupcakes and passes them behind her.

“I might have told our physics teacher that Tobin wanted to be part of the demonstrations for class today which, thanks to me,” she smirks, “involved her getting an egg dropped on her head.”

Alex rolls her eyes and picks up a cupcake.  “I guess you can have one.”

Megan smiles and takes it, peeling back the wrapper and moving it to her waiting mouth.  As soon as it reaches her lips Alex reaches forward and smushes it against her face.  She picks up another cupcake and walks out into the opening where others are dancing and now kicking around the balloons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you guys think is going to win the bet?


	23. Chapter 23

Tobin walks into school Friday, pulling at the short red skirt around her waist and slowly heads to her locker.  

Dom is standing at his locker, talking to Sydney.  He sees Tobin coming towards them through a crowd of other students and raises his hand, waving.  “Hey, Tobs,” he calls as she gets closer.  He starts cracking up when she is only a few feet away and he can see what she’s wearing.  “Bloody hell.  What are you wearing?  Are you quitting football for cheerleading?”

Tobin slaps the back of his head while he’s bent over laughing.  “Tori convinced me to switch uniforms with her for Halloween.”  She pulls down on the skirt again.

Dom collects himself after a minute and turns to Tobin who is rummaging in her locker.  “So you’re going to be dressed as a cheerleader all day?”

“Unfortunately,” she moans.  “I thought it would be funny at first but this is just uncomfortable.  Why do people want to wear something where their belly button is just out for the world.”  She pulls on the top trying to bring it down over her exposed stomach to no avail.

Sydney steps in, straight faced, “It’s called a crop top.  They’re quite fashionable actually and they look good.”  Her eyes give Tobin a once over. “It looks good on you.”

Tobin shakes her head, “Maybe on some people but not me.”

Sydney looks to Dom, “She looks hot, right?”

Tobin looks to Dom as well, eyebrow raised.  He holds his hands up, “I’m not answering.”

Sydney shrugs and leans back against Dom’s locker pulling out her phone while the other two talk.

**Syd:  I have a present for you ;)**

She sneakily takes a picture of Tobin who is leaning into her locker.

**Alex: What is it?**

Sydney sends the picture.

**Alex: Why are you sending me a picture of a cheerleader?**

**Syd: It’s a special cheerleader**

**Syd:  Do those legs not look familiar to you?**

**Alex: What are you talking about?**

Sydney waits a few moments to see if Alex can figure it out on her own.  She sees Alex typing again.

**Alex: OMG.  IS THAT TOBIN??????**

**Syd: Lol there we go**

**Alex: Why is she wearing that**

**Syd: For you**

**Alex: …**

**Alex:  Sydney Leroux**

The warning bell rings and Sydney kisses Dom while he makes more fun of Tobin.  “Dom be nice.  Hey Tobin, can I get a picture of you and Dom?”

Tobin groans but reluctantly agrees.  Sydney smiles as she sees Dom put his arm around Tobin’s shoulder.  She makes sure to get as much of Tobin’s bare legs in the picture as possible.  She quickly sends it to Alex and then says bye to the two football players.

**Syd: They’re ready for a double date**

**Alex: Syd stop.  Explain!!**

**Syd: Sorry Al**

**Syd: She switched with someone for Halloween**

**Syd: You should have her come to our game today dressed like that.  I’m sure if you asked she would totally do it and they don’t have practice today**

A minute passes with no response.

**Syd: Alex stop drooling over that picture**

**Alex: I’m not drooling**

**Syd: ...**

**Alex: For the most part**

**Syd: Knew it.  Text Tobin and she’ll be wearing it at our game**

Alex shakes her head at Sydney as she walks into the gym class locker room for her first class but texts Tobin anyways.

**Alex: Hey, you’re coming to our game at 3 right?**

She gets a response almost immediately.

**The Queen: Of course**

**Alex: Good we need a cheerleader.  It’s going to be a hard game**

**The Queen: OMG how do you already know**

**Alex: I have little elves too… :D**

**The Queen: Syd?**

**Alex: Yep**

**The Queen: Well I’m not wearing it to your game**

**Alex: Oh come on.  Please**

**The Queen: No**

**Alex: Pretty please**

**The Queen: No**

**Alex: Pretty pretty please**

**The Queen: Ugh fine**

**Alex: Yes.  You look good in it Tobin.  It’s different for you but not bad**

**The Queen: Thanks.  It’s just weird walking around with so much skin showing.**

**Alex: Understandable**

**Alex: I got to go.  It’s badminton.  I’ll see you at lunch**

~~~

Tobin walks into lunch to the hooting, hollering, and whistling of all the football players in the room.  She flips them off while heading over to Alex and her friends.

“Uh...Can I sit here today?” she asks shyly while the guys call out to her and she tries to pull her skirt down without letting it expose more of her stomach.  Alex looks at Tobin’s flat, exposed stomach, distracted.

“Yeah of course,” Lauren cuts in, kicking Alex under the table.

Alex smiles at Tobin as she sits down. “Yeah totally, but it’s Friday.  You normally sit with them on Fridays.” Alex says, motioning to the football team, as Tobin sits.

“Well with that entrance, I kinda need some space, ya know.” Tobin eyes her usual table.  “And our game’s tomorrow so I don’t need to bond with them just yet.”

Alex nods and turns to Lauren who is sitting across from her with a large smirk on her face.  Alex blushes and looks down at her yogurt.

“So are you coming to our game tonight Tobin?” Sydney asks.

Tobin shrugs, “I was going to.”

“In uniform?” Meghan snickers.

Tobin blushes. “I don’t know yet.”

Alex looks up from her yogurt quickly.  “But you already said you were going to,”

“Yeah but it’s embarrassing.”  She looks down at her outfit.  “I might need some convincing.”

“But…,” Alex stammers, “you said.”  Her face drops.

“Yeah well I changed my mind,” Tobin insists.  “I need something in return.”

Alex’s eyes flash to Sydney who winks at her before turning back to Tobin.  “What kind of something?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugs, “but if I don’t have it by, let’s say, 3:30, I will be changing into something else.”

Alex groans as Tobin starts eating.  “Come on just give me hint of what you want.”  Tobin turns to her smiling and shrugs again.

“There’s my cheerleader,” a voice behind them says.  The table turns towards the voice.  Alex clenches her fist as Tori walks over wearing Tobin’s white jersey and blue football pants, black lines drawn under her eyes, and carrying her helmet.  

Tobin swallows her food and stands up with a smile, “Hey Tor.”  Tori moves to her tippie toes and puts her arms around Tobin’s neck and hugs her.  Tobin hugs her back before sitting down.  Tori sits down on Tobin’s lap and pops a grape into her mouth.

“You could have done cheerleading.  Your legs look good in the skirt.”  Alex feels Kelley elbow her side.  When she turns to her, Kelley mouths ‘calm down’ and Alex realizes she has both her fists clenched tightly on the table.

Tobin shifts uncomfortably under Tori, “Yeah no.  I’ll stick to my jersey and pants.”  She tugs on the jersey Tori is wearing.

Tori looks at Tobin’s face for a second then smiles.  She reaches her hands into Tobin’s hair and pulls out the loose bun.  “Let me just…,” She pulls Tobin’s hair into a tight ponytail high on her head, “Perfect.”  She hops out of Tobin’s lap and turns to the rest of the table.  “Much better right?”  She grabs another grape and turns to Tobin, “I’ll see you tonight?”  Tobin nods pulling down on her skirt again.

~~~

Alex walks to class after lunch with Sydney and Amy.  “So what are you going to get her so she keeps wearing the cheer uniform?” Amy asks

“I don’t know.”

Sydney smirks, “I have an idea.”

Alex turns to her quickly, “What is it?”

“You could give her a picture of you in very little clothing as well.  I mean you get to see her in that, shouldn’t she get the same privilege?  OW!” Sydney rubs her arm where Alex just slapped her.

~~~

Alex walks into the locker room and glances at Tobin’s locker groaning.

“Don’t worry Alex.  I’ve got you covered.  Just get changed and I’ll take care of it.”

“What are you going to do?”  A large smile comes across Sydney’s face as she walks to her locker and opens.  “Sydney Leroux.”

Sydney just shakes her head and continues getting ready.  Alex glares at her for a second before getting dressed herself.  She shuts her locker and heads to the mirror near the door to fix her prewrap.  She watches Sydney walk to her locker and pull something out of it through the reflection.  Alex turns as Sydney approaches Tobin’s locker and crosses her arms.  “What are you doing?”

Sydney turns to Alex, like a deer in headlights, her hands quickly move behind her back. “Nothing.”

“What do you have?”

Sydney’s shoulders slump and she holds out her right hand from which a red bra is hanging.  Alex’s jaw drops as she snatches at it, “My bra?  Seriously Syd?”

“She would love it.  Maybe you would get hers in return, maybe even the rest of the outfit too.” Sydney wiggles her eyebrows. Alex shakes her head and walks back to her locker.  She shoves her bra to the bottom of her bag and pulls out a notebook from her backpack.

~~~

Tobin walks into the locker room at 3:45 and finds a lined piece of paper folded sitting on her locker seat with her name written on the outside.  She sits down and opens it.

_Hi Tobin,_

_I couldn’t think of anything to get you that I had access to at school.  Also I don’t want to make you wear anything that you don’t feel comfortable in.  I do think you pull off the cheerleading uniform quite nicely but you smile more in jeans and a t-shirt._

_Whatever you end up wearing, I can’t wait to see you at the game.  You need to see me score so many goals that you have no way of coming back._

_See you soon,_

_Alex :)_

Tobin smiles at the note and drops it into her backpack before grabbing her gym bag from underneath her seat and pulling out clothes.

~~~

The starting whistle blows just as Tobin gets to the bleachers.  She walks up and sits in the first row next to Dom.

He turns and gives her a once over.  “I thought you were changing.”  

She shrugs her shoulders.  “I changed my mind.”

Dom smiles and turns his head back towards the field, “Sure ya did.”

“Shut up and watch your girlfriend kill someone with that braid.”

Fifteen minutes into the game on a corner Hope accidentally punches an opposing player and the game is stopped.  Alex heads over to the sidelines for water.  Sydney elbows her lightly as they get close to the sidelines, “Did you end up giving her the bra?”

Alex looks at Sydney confused, then sees her looking up into the stands.  She grabs the water bottle being handed to her then follows Sydney’s gaze.  She sees Tobin sitting next to Dom smiling at her.  Tobin is still wearing the cheerleading uniform just with an unzipped football sweatshirt over her shoulders and arms.  “I actually told her she didn’t have to wear it.”

The whistle blows, signaling the game is going to restart and they head back onto the field.  Alex glances back at Tobin quickly as the game restarts and smiles to herself.  

The game ends tied 2-2, Alex and Sydney each getting a goal.  The team has their post-game meeting before the two goal scorers head over to the stands to greet their very obnoxious fans.

They hop over the railing and land next to the soccer players.  “That was a great game,” Dom says as he hugs Sydney and kisses her cheek.

“Thanks baby.”

“You did great, Alex.  You outrunning the defender for that goal was crazy.”

Alex shrugs, “We didn’t win though.”

“That’s fine.  You didn’t lose and you’re still undefeated.  You’ve already got a playoff spot.”  Alex shrugs and looks down at Tobin’s attire.

“So why did you wear that?  I said you didn’t have to.”

Tobin looks down, blushing slightly, “I just realized it was unfair and I had already said I would.  It would make you happy too...so yeah.” Tobin shrugs, unsure what to say.

Alex smiles, “I would have been happy either way.  I just wanted my most obnoxious fan here.”

“Would you rather I not cheer?” Tobin asks sheepishly

“No.  It’s funny.  The ref threatened to kick you out actually right towards the end when I fell.  It’s just nice having such loud fans.  We’re not really used to it other than a few crazy parents.  It’s nothing like a football game.”

Tobin smiles, about to open her mouth, when Dom taps her shoulder.  “Hey, we should go.”

Pulling out her phone, Tobin looks at the time and nods.  “I want to change real quick, so I can give Tori back her uniform though.”  Dom nods and turns back to Sydney.

“Sorry we have the team pasta dinner tonight for our game tomorrow,”  Tobin says, looking at Alex with hope filled eyes before asking,  “You’re going to be there right?”

Alex nods, “Of course.  I only miss it if it interferes with soccer.”

Tobin smiles before turning and grabbing Dom’s shirt, pulling him away from Sydney’s lips.  The two soccer players watch them jog back to the school before Sydney nudges Alex.  “She wore it even though all you gave her was a note.  She likes you, Lex.”

Alex shakes her head in denial but a smile still stretches across her face.

~~~

Alex sits in the stands as Tobin runs onto the field to punt the ball yet again after another failed third down.  The Patriots are losing 3-34 and with 2 minutes left in the game the team is pretty deflated.  Alex watches the ball land in the opponent’s hands after waving his arms for a fair catch.

Tobin pulls her helmet off as she walks to the sideline and Alex can see the annoyance written across her face.

~~~

**Alex: Hey.  You had a great game today**

**The Queen: We lost**

**Alex: But you scored and that was a really long kick**

**Alex: I tried to be as obnoxious as you but you have a lot more fans than I do so it was harder to hear me**

**The Queen: Thanks**

**Alex: :D I’ll see you at school Monday.  Text me if you get bored or something**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still can't decide who I want to win the bet but it's coming up. Also if you are not aware I finally posted the first chapter to the sequel for Don't Forget Me so go check it out if you want.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a lot of football terminology in this so let me know if you need help understanding it

Tobin sits at her desk tapping her pencil against the open book in front of her.  She groans and drops her pencil, picking up her phone instead.

**The Queen: You’re not in physics right?**

She tosses her phone back down and looks at the problem again.  Her phone buzzes and she picks it up, thankful for the distraction.  

**Alex: No.  Why?**

**The Queen: This problem makes no sense**

**Alex: Yeah I’d probably be no help but I can text Kelley for you or Pinoe. She’s in your class right?**

**The Queen:  Yeah but it’s cool.  I just thought I’d check with you first.  What are you doing?**

**Alex: Homework too :(**

**The Queen: See you tomorrow**

**Alex: Wait**

**Alex: I’m actually going to head over to Kelley’s to do homework.  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you came over too.  She’s pretty good at physics stuff**

**The Queen: Oh okay. If she’s okay with it then sure.  Text me when you get there**

Tobin closes her physics book and stuffs it into her bag.  She pulls off her old football shirt as she walks to her closet, looking for a different shirt.  After ten minutes she settles on a plain black tee and jeans.  She grabs a white snap back before stuffing her math book into her backpack as well.  She looks down at the black screen of her phone, willing it to vibrate.  It finally does.

**Alex: Pulling into her driveway**

Tobin stuffs her phone into her pocket and slings her backpack up onto her shoulder.  She jogs down the stairs, calling out, “Mom, I’m going over to Kelley’s to study.  I’ll be back later.”  She is out the door before there is time for a response.  She stops herself before ducking under the evergreens to calm herself and not to seem to anxious.  She slowly walks into the O’Hara’s yard and up to the door.  She knocks and is almost instantly greeted by Kelley opening the door.

“Well hello, Tobin.  What a lovely surprise.  Do come in,” Kelley sasses, bowing as Tobin enters the house.  Tobin sees Alex glaring at Kelley a few feet away and smiles.

“See that’s how you’re supposed to greet me.”

Alex rolls her eyes and adjusts the backpack on her shoulders.

“Come on,” Kelley says, walking by them.  “Let’s go sit in the kitchen since I didn’t have time to clean my room.  I just need to go grab my stuff.”  Kelley leaves them alone as she heads upstairs.

Tobin looks around, remembering the last time she was here under very different circumstances.  “Soo...kitchen?”

“Oh right,” Alex turns and leads Tobin to the kitchen and sits down.  

Tobin sits across the table from her and grabs her physics book out of her bag.  She opens up on the table and pulls her pencil from behind her ear.  She glances up as she starts to lean over her book.  She realizes Alex is staring at her and looks up from her book at her and stares back, questioningly.  “What?”

“Nothing,” Alex shakes her head and quickly takes out a history book from her bag.

“Alright, Tobin,” Kelley calls as she bounces into the kitchen.  “Let’s get to crackin’ on this physics shit.”  She slips into the chair next to Tobin and slides it closer.  “What do you need help with?”

Tobin turns the book towards Kelley and they start working through her problem set.  Alex’s pencil hovers over the blank piece of notebook paper as she watches Kelley flip through the pages of Tobin’s book.

After showing Tobin the equations she needs, Kelley glances up at Alex and shakes her head reaching over and tapping the book.  “Work,” she mouths.  Alex groans but looks down at her book and starts taking notes.

Forty-five minutes later, Tobin pushes her book away and stands up.  “Fuck, why is that so hard?”

Kelley shrugs, “It’s not so bad.  Just gotta know what direction to go in.”

Tobin groans.  “Well it sucks.  Bathroom?”  

Kelley points down the hall and Tobin heads in that direction.  As soon as Tobin is out of the kitchen Kelley turns on Alex.  “What is going on here?”

Alex looks up from her notes. “I’m doing homework.”

“As was I, before you basically invited yourself and Tobin over here and have me tutoring her.”

“She said she needed help and I knew you could help her,” Alex whispers, glancing in the direction Tobin disappeared.

“So then why are you here.  I could help her just as easily without you staring at her.”

“Well if you’re done helping her we can leave,” Alex offers, ignoring Kelley’s comments.

“Why?  So you can go make out in her car?  Go up to her room or something?”

Alex glares at Kelley and quickly glances towards the hallway.  “Keep your voice down.  No.  I can call my mom or something to come pick me up.”

Kelley shakes her head, “Stay.  But you need to work.  I can’t concentrate on work when I fear one of you jumping across the table at each other.”

They hear the bathroom door open and Kelley smiles as Alex quickly looks down at her book to pretend like she’s been working the whole time.

Tobin slumps into the kitchen and falls into the chair.  She looks over at Kelley, “Any chance I can get you to help with my math homework too?”

Kelley pats Tobin’s shoulder.  “Why don’t you try it first and if you need help then I can try to help.”

Tobin pouts but eventually turns to get her math homework out.  Kelley grabs her pencil and is about to start on her on work when she sees Tobin looking across the table at Alex who finally seems to be focused on her work.  Kelley reaches her pencil over and taps Tobin’s book.

Tobin blushes and looks down at her book.  It doesn’t take her very long to finish the few problems she has left of her math homework.  She shuts her book in victory, causing the other two to look up.  

“You done?” Alex asks, looking up from her copy of _The Great Gatsby_.  

Tobin nods, “That’s everything.”

“Lucky,” Kelley mutters as she flips the page in the book in front of her and continues writing.

“I’m almost done if you want to give me a ride home.”

Kelley laughs next to them and they both look over at her.  She looks up, “Sorry.  Phalanges is just a funny word.”

Tobin rolls her eyes and Alex glares, turning back to Tobin.  “Give me five minutes to finish this chapter?”

“I’ll go get my car.”  Tobin starts packing up her things and pulling her backpack onto her shoulder.  “Thanks Kel.  As annoying as you are you really helped.”

Kelley smirks, “I try.”

“See you tomorrow.”  She heads back towards the front door and Kelley quickly turns to Alex, whose face is buried in her book.

“Weren’t you and Syd complaining on Friday that you needed to finish that by tomorrow,” Kelley asks, pointing at Alex’s half read book.

“Maybe,” Alex answers sheepishly.

Kelley shakes her head and points towards the front door.  “Get out.  Just let me know if this car ride you’re making her give you leads to anything.”

~~~

“Alex,” Sydney calls as soon as the forward walks into the cafeteria.

“What, Sydney?”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you hung out with Tobin yesterday?” Sydney asks, astounded.

Alex turns to Kelley who is grinning back at her.  “We did homework.  Kelley helped her with physics.”

“What happened on the ride home?” Christen asks.

“Nothing.  We just talked about the bet since we both only have one game left.”

“What’s the score?”

“I have three more than her.”  Alex looks up and smiles when she sees Tobin walking through the door with Dom.

“Have you figured out what you’re going to make her do?” Meghan asks

“Not yet.  She could still come back.  I still need to try and score tomorrow.”

“Shouldn’t that be your goal anyways?” Lauren smirks.

**~~~**

On Friday, the soccer team had just won their first postseason game, keeping their unbeaten streak.  Alex finishes showering and quickly gets dressed.  She combs her hair as she walks to the mirror passing  the wall filled with little cut out soccer balls. Twenty nine of them had her name along with the minute they were scored and the date of the game.  

Tonight is Tobin's last game of the regular season.  If they win, they can potentially make the playoffs based on how the other teams do, but a loss would signify the end of their season.  Tobin only has twenty five little footballs or helmets so it would take five points for her to win.

Sydney walks up behind Alex. "You going to tell her tonight?"

Alex bites her lip as she looks at her best friend in the mirror. "We'll see.  Like I want them to win and her to score a lot but I also don’t know what’s going to happen when this is over.  I don’t know who I want to win."

"Al, you have nothing to worry about."

"What if she no longer wants to hang out with me?"

"She won't-"

"But she could.  She probably will.  And why would she want to date me?  I'm just a sophomore and that college girl was all over her."

"Okay besides you stalking her Facebook, would you have even known about her?  Has Tobin mentioned her once?" Sydney asks, raising an eyebrow as Alex finishes combing her hair and turns around.

"No, not since she got back, but maybe that's because she doesn't want to hurt my feelings.   You all guessed that I liked her.  She probably figured it out too," Alex says dejectedly.

Sydney throws her arms up and walks off, "Someone slap some sense into her."

"Dibs," Ashlyn calls from where she is sitting on the bench next to Ali's locker.

Ali smacks her shoulder before closing her locker.  "We should get going if we want to get there by kickoff."

The team files out and breaks up into groups of drivers and passengers with Kelley driving Alex and Sydney.  Seeing that Alex needs a distraction, Kelley describes her latest interaction with Chester, a chipmunk her dad had trained.

Once they all arrive, the soccer players finds an empty area in the visitor’s section big enough for all of them.  As the coin toss is happening center field, Alex watches Tobin's back as she talks to one of the coaches. A minute later Tobin walks into the field, cool, calm, and collected.  She sends the ball soaring to the other end of the field and the game begins.

It's a close game, one team scores, and then on the next drive the other team scores.  The score is tied at 10 at the half.  Both teams head to the locker rooms to get ready for the next half.

"How’re you doing, Alex?" Kelley asks.

"I don't know.  I need more time."

"Well, if they win, you'll have more time while they celebrate."

"Oh okay, Kel. I'll just use mind control and make that happen."

"Hey, just saying, hope for a win."

"I am.  They need to win to make playoffs."

The crowd starts refocusing as the two teams walk back onto the field.  Alex looks around for Tobin and sees her very seriously talking to a few players, using her hands to describe what she is saying. _'Ugh how is she so attractive all the time?_ '

Tobin continues to talk even as the half starts.  It's not until the field goal unit is called onto the field a few plays later that they break apart and all head into the field.  Tobin easily makes the 30 yard kick and the Patriots are up by 3.

The aren’t able to keep the lead for long as the opposing team gets a field goal on the next drive.  The score stays tied until the play following the two minute warning in the fourth quarter.  The other side scores on a Hail Mary pass.  They get the extra point and are up by 7.

Alex watches Tobin start talking animatedly to a coach and pointing at a clipboard.  The Patriots are only able to make it to their forty before having to call on the punting unit.  Tobin takes a little longer than normal to get into place and give the signal.  

Alex watches as the ball is snapped and Tobin grabs it, tucking it under her arm instead of kicking it.  Alex moves to her feet.  ‘ _What is she doing?_ ’ Tobin turns and runs at a sharp angle towards the sidelines.  Alex instinctually grips Kelley's hand.  The line blocks well and she is able to get past the line to get the first down.  Once she can tell she is going to be tackled she steps out of bounds to end the play. The sideline and crowd around her are screaming loudly.  The players on the field slap her back as the teams quickly change the players on the field.  

Matt is able to get it down the field in two plays.  On the third play he tosses the ball to Ryan who dives over an oncoming tackle to get the touchdown.  The Patriots are going wild as Tobin runs onto the field for the extra point.

Alex turns to Sydney shouting to be heard, "If they tie, do they still have a chance to go to the playoffs?"

Sydney shrugs, "I have no idea."  

They both look to the field as Tobin signals the holder to start the play.  Alex watches the ball get snapped and squints, confused, as Tobin runs towards the sideline instead of the ball. ‘ _Where is she going? Not again._ ’  Alex sees the holder standing up running in the same direction.  The ball is then out of his hand and flying towards Tobin who is unmarked running into the end zone.  She jumps up and catches the ball easily.  She lands, a whistle is blown, and the officials raise their arms straight up.  The Patriots are up by one.  Tobin is tackled within seconds by her teammates and becomes buried in a pile of white jerseys. Alex cups her hands in front of her mouth, cheering loudly.

Once she is able to stand again, Tobin kicks the ball hard downfield so it bounces towards the side.  It rolls out of bounds on the other end of the field at the twenty five yard line.  After a 15 yard run and two incomplete passes the final whistle blows and the Patriots run onto the field, going crazy again.  Alex smiles as Tobin gets lifted into the air within 5 seconds.  The footballer twists on the twins’ shoulders to look towards the stands.  After a few seconds of searching her eyes meet Alex’s.  She points her helmet at her with a huge smile on her face.  Alex raises her hands above her head clapping, returning the smile.

Tobin turns back around and celebrates with her teammates, eventually getting put down.  Alex leans against the fence with Kelley and Sydney while the team has their post-game meeting.  They hear the coach announce that they made it to the playoffs.  Alex smiles as she sees Ryan and Dom come up behind their coach and dump a large Gatorade jug on him.  The players all cheer and laugh.  Alex then notices another jug being carried into the circle.  Matt and someone Alex doesn’t know lift the back of the bucket and tip it onto an unsuspecting Tobin.

Alex smiles as the girl jumps up quickly and turns around, blue gatorade dripping off of her .  Within seconds she’s chasing the two but gives up when they run in separate directions.  “Bus in ten minutes,” their coach yells while shaking out wet his baseball cap.

Tobin looks to the bleachers, her smile disappearing slightly noticing they’re empty.  Dom comes over to her and turns her towards Sydney, Kelley, and Alex.  Tobin sees Alex and her smile grows again.  Kelley sees the two approaching and gives them a double thumbs up before stepping a little bit away and pulling out her phone. When they get to the soccer players Sydney pulls Dom into a hug, “You did great baby.”

Tobin smiles at Alex as Alex says, “You did great too. That was amazing.  I thought you only kicked the ball.  Those last few minutes. Wow.”

Tobin wipes away some water that dripped from her hair, “Wow enough that I won?”

Alex thinks for a minute, adding up Tobin’s four scores.  “Shit we tied. Uh how do you want to handle that?”

“Well, either we both get the prize or no one does unless you want to have a tie breaker.”

“Let’s talk about it later.  I think we should talk about how as amazing as it was to see you running and catching to save the team it was not something I enjoyed seeing?”

Tobin’s face falls. “Why?”

“You’re not supposed to be getting tackled and stuff and both of those plays make that more likely.”

“Wow,” she grins, “you’re worse than my mom with this kind of stuff.  I’m fine.  I’m supposed to slide if I see a tackle coming to prevent injury.”

“Still don’t like it.”  They turn as they hear Tobin’s and Dom’s name called.  Matt is waving them over.

Dom kisses Sydney while Tobin asks, “See you at the party?”

“Your feet probably won’t touch the ground the entire night so you might not see me.”

“I’ll try to make time for the peasants.”

Alex shoves her shoulder, “I’ll see you there, loser.”

“I think you mean winner,” she points at the scoreboard.  “I scored nine of those points.”  She then grabs Dom by the back of his shoulder pads and pulls him away.  “See you guys in an hour.”

~~~

Alex sits in the passenger seat as Kelley drives to the party.  “What do I do?”

“You guys tied right.  What’s the plan for that?”

“We don’t know.  Should we do a tie breaker or just call it a tie?  And if we call it do we both win or do we both lose?”

“Is there a difference” Sydney asks from the back.  Alex shrugs, shaking her head, not knowing.

“But a tiebreaker could be fun,” Kelley quips.

“Shut up,” Alex mumbles while leaning her head against the window and watching trees go by.

~~~

Alex sits on the couch swirling her soda can around while her friends talk around her.  Every time the door opens, Alex’s head snaps up hoping to see Tobin walking in.  She is disappointed each time.

Sydney watches this for 10 minutes before saying, “Alex it’ll probably be a while.  They have to shower and stuff.”  Alex nods and lies down on the couch, sprawling over Morgan and Meghan, who are next to her. Meghan looks down at Alex’s head in her lap, “So what’s going on with the scoring thing now that their season is over?”

“We tied.”

“So what does that mean?” the shorter girl asks.

“I think we’re just going to count it as we both win.  Makes it easier.”

Meghan nods, “Do you know what you’re going to have her do?”

“Not yet.”

“Any guesses about what she’s going to have you do?” Morgan asks.  Alex shrugs.

Meghan smiles mischievously before asking, “And what if she asks you to go down on her?”

Alex looks at Meghan like she’s crazy and then swings her arm, hitting her in the face.  “Hey. I’m the only one allowed to do that,” Morgan says from next to them.

Alex rolls off of them onto the floor, putting her arms over her face, lying still as conversation picks up around her.  A few minutes later, Alex swats at the foot poking at her shoulder. “Kling knock it off.”  The foot pushes a little harder into her arm.  Alex reaches over and grabs the ankle with her eyes still closed.  “Kling I’m not even kidding.  I don’t want to hear anything more about going down on- FUCK.”  Alex sits up holding her stomach.  She looks up to see Morgan giving her an apologetic look.  “What was that for?”

“Uh. I don’t know. Leg cramp.  Sorry.”  Sydney clears her throat from behind them.  Alex turns to see what Sydney wants.  Her eyes come across ripped-jean clad legs standing next to her.  She looks up and sees Tobin smirking down at her and her cheeks immediately heat up.

“Whatcha doing on the ground there?  Finally bowing down to the queen?”

Alex shoves her leg and stands up.  “You wish.”

Tobin looks around at all of the eyes on them, “Uh I’m going to go get something to drink.”  She walks toward the kitchen, the eyes of the team still following her.  Alex watches her for a minute until Meghan pokes her in the stomach, right where Morgan had kicked.  

“Ouch. Fuck,” Alex lifts her shirt and looks at her red side. “Ugh, Moe.”

“Sorry.  I just didn’t want you to say the thing.”

Alex nods, “Thanks.  Maybe just a little less violent next time.  I’m going to go get some ice.”  Alex heads towards the fridge in the kitchen.  She passes Tobin who is being carried over Austin’s shoulder, around the island and outside.  She stands at the door, with an ice pack against her side, watching Tobin throw a ball around with her teammates, getting pats on the back and high fives every once in awhile.

“Come on let’s all go sit outside so it’s not so creepy,” Sydney says, coming up behind her.

“Alex just talk to her,” Dom adds as he slips his arm around Sydney’s shoulder.  Alex sits at the patio table with her teammates watching Tobin.  Dom goes over to her after a little while and they talk for a minute.  Dom then takes Tobin’s spot as Tobin walks over to the table and sits down.

“Uh hey Alex, did you decide about the tie yet?”

Alex nods, “Yeah, uh I figure we both win.”

Tobin smiles at her and leans back in her chair.  “Okay.”

Alex smiles before asking, “Are you free tomorrow?”

“Yeah why?” Tobin asks.

“Be at my house at noon.”

“Wait what?”

“Oh also don’t eat lunch.”  Tobin gives her a confused look to which Alex just smirks and continues.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tobin looks at Alex for a little while longer before looking around at the rest of the soccer girls, most of them looking back at her.  “Uh have a good night guys.”  The rest of the team nods and says the same back while Tobin, adding in a few congratulations as she stands up and walks back to her friends.

Alex watches the girl’s back. “What was that?”  Kelley asks when she’s far enough away.

“That’s called she wants to get her hot and sweaty,” Meghan smirks.

“Shut up, Kling.” Alex says, chucking her empty soda can at the girl.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first part of the bet

Tobin pulls up to Alex’s house, parking her car, and glancing at the clock. 11:57 am. She hops out and reaches up, adjusting her snapback nervously, not sure what she’s in for. She walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. It takes a minute but Tobin hears the door unlock and then sees it open. She smiles as Alex becomes visible. 

“You could have just texted me that you were here.” Alex bends down and slips on her white vans. 

“I figured I needed to make sure you were actually awake,” Tobin responds as Alex ties her shoes. Alex ignores her as she stands up and grabs her bag from the table next to the door. Alex walks out and they head to the car. “So where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there. Are you hungry yet or can you wait an hour or two?” Alex asks as Tobin starts the car and backs down the driveway.

“I can wait. I had breakfast like an hour ago so I’m not that hungry.” Tobin says and starts driving after Alex points forward. 

“So you guys made it to playoffs. Have you been before?”

“Yeah. We didn’t last year but we did my freshman year and that was pretty cool. We only played one game. Got creamed by the other team. It was like 30 to 3.”

“So you were the only one that scored?” Alex adds, looking out the window, making sure she doesn’t miss their next turn.

“Yeah I guess so. But we all still could have done better. I did pretty bad that game. The one I did make was from like the 5 yard line.” 

A few minutes go by with just the radio filling the silence in between Alex giving out directions. She feels her phone vibrate in her lap. She reaches into her purse and pulls it out, opening the text.

**Kling: Your pants still on?**

**Alex M: Remind me to hit you next time I see you**

**Kling: Sexual frustration is a bitch isn’t it?**

Alex silently groans and opens a new text

**Alex: If you are with Kling can you please hit her**

She gets a response immediately.

**MoB: Damn Alex you really do need some :P**

**Alex: I will hit both of you on Monday**

Alex throws her phone back in her bag and looks up. Realizing they are almost there. She looks over at Tobin who is tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, softly singing along with the radio. “Are we almost there?” she asks, looking at Alex from the corner of her eye.

Alex smiles, “Yeah like 10 more seconds. Turn right up ahead.” Tobin follows her command and pulls into the parking lot of a warehouse.

“So because we tied your plan is to kill me?” Tobin asks as she parks.

“That’s only my backup plan if this doesn’t work out,” Alex replies as she gets out of the car, turning back to Tobin who is still seated, “Come on.”

Tobin gets out too and Alex waits as she makes her way to the other side of the car. They walk around the side of the building towards a glass door that says ‘ENTRANCE’. Tobin opens the door for Alex not sure what they are entering. 

“I carry a knife,” Tobin half-jokes, “I’m not afraid to use it.”

Alex shakes her head as she walks through the door, “Let’s keep it in your pocket for now.” She walks to the end of the halls and waits in front of another door as Tobin comes up behind her looking around. Alex holds her arm out so Tobin can’t pass. “Are you ready?”

“Oh my god, yes.” Tobin groans impatiently.

A smirk passes Alex’s face and she pushes open the door, “Then let the games begin.”

Alex lets Tobin step through the open door first. It takes a second for their eyes to adjust to the darker interior but Tobin eventually sees all the neon being lit up by the black lights all around the room. She turns back to Alex who is standing behind her with the same smirk on her face. “Mini golf?” Tobin asks.

“Yeah. I really like to play but none of my friends will come with me anymore.”

“Scared you’re going to kill them,” Tobin jokes.

Alex shrugs as she walks towards the desk, “Something like that.” When she gets to the counter she says, “Can I get clubs for both of us?” 

The guy nods, “Twenty dollars.” Alex hands him the money before Tobin can reach for her wallet. The guy then hands over two clubs and a bucket of balls. Tobin reaches in, picking two balls while Alex grabs the clubs.

Tobin thanks the guy and turns to Alex who grabs a scorecard and asks “Ready?” Tobin hands Alex a pink ball and pulls the score card out of her hand, putting it back. 

Tobin grabs a club out of Alex’s hand and heads towards the first hole. She looks back at Alex, motioning her over. When she gets closer Tobin asks, “Do you want to go first?” 

“We can switch off but I’ll go first on this one,” Alex says, putting her pink ball down and lining up her shot. 

Tobin puts her foot on the ball to stop Alex. “We need to go over some guidelines.”

“Why do we need guidelines? It’s mini golf.” Alex whines. 

“Because I remember a story of you almost killing Syd las-“

“I didn’t almost kill her, she exaggerates,” Alex says, cutting her off.

Tobin holds up her hand, “Anyways,” she clears her throat and pretends to unroll a scroll, reading from it, “This is not a competition. This will all be in good fun, so: no raising the club above the waist when hitting the ball. No hitting small children. No hitting the club into anything but the ball. Trash talk will be permitted but not to the detriment of our friendship. And lastly there will be no winner or loser.” She sticks out her hand for Alex to take. “Do you agree to these terms.”

Alex glares at Tobin with a raised eyebrow before taking her hand and shaking it. “Yes. Can I go now?”

Tobin moves her foot and lets Alex take the first put. After carefully lining up her shot, she takes it. The ball goes just wide of the hole, causing the younger girl to groan. Tobin steps up and drops her orange ball, steadying it with her foot. Once Alex moves out of the way, Tobin shoots. It comes up just short of the hole. Tobin walks over and knocks it in. Alex also puts hers in easily.

They don’t keep count as they go through the holes. Their minds more focused on their conversation or making poking fun at the other one not even realizing how far they have progressed until they make it to the last hole. Tobin had just taken 4 shots to get the ball up the mummy’s wrapping and disappearing down the hole. Alex stands over the ball, looking from it up to the hole, then back down. She takes a deep breath. ‘ _I got this._ ’ 

She brings the putter back and then sends the ball forward. It goes up reaching the top but instead of continuing over the top and into the hole it rolls back down. “NNNOOOooooo,” Alex groans. Tobin stands slightly behind her, hiding her smile. Alex resets her ball and tries again, this time she hits it too hard and it pops over the lip and rolls back down to Alex. It takes Alex five more tries for her to get it into the hole. They walk back to the guy at the front desk, handing him their putters before heading out the door.

They stand on the passenger side of the car unsure of what to say. Tobin’s stomach growling breaks the silence. “How about some lunch?” Alex asks. Tobin nods and opens the door for her before walking around to driver’s side. 

They drive in silence for a while until Alex looks over at Tobin. “So what are you going to make me do?” she asks nervously.

Tobin grins and shrugs, “Nothing bad. I promise. At least I hope it’s not. I don’t actually know exactly what yet but I have a few ideas.” She pulls into a parking spot in front of the pizza place, getting out of the car. She waits for Alex at the front of the car. “Do you want to sit outside? It’s actually not too bad next to the heaters.”

“Sure,” Alex replies, leading them to a table right next to a space heater. 

“I’ll go in and order. What do you want?”

After giving Tobin her order and watching the older girl head inside Alex pulls her phone out to see a bunch of texts.

**Syd: You took her mini golfing? Where is this going down? I need to know where to send the paramedics**

**Ash: Don’t get too competitive baby horse**

**Kel: Good luck Al. Don’t forget that losing might actually be better in the long run.**

**Kel: You aren’t always the nicest winner**

**Kel: Though you’re an even worse loser**

**Kel: I got it. Fake an injury and let her win**

**Kling: You’ll thank me later ;)**

Alex ignores all but one.

**Alex: Thanks KO. We didn’t keep score so were okay**

Tobin comes back out with two waters, setting them down before going back in for their pizza. A minute later, she sits down after placing the pizza slices between them.

“So,” Tobin starts, picking up a slice. “Do you have a lot of homework due Monday?”

Alex shakes her head, taking a small bite. “No. This week is actually pretty chill. I don’t have anything major until Thursday.”

“Lucky. Wish that was me,” Tobin sighs. They silently eat for a minute before Tobin sets her slice down and wipes her hands off. “When’s your next game?”

“Wednesday at four. You going to come?”

“I have practice until six so maybe not but I’ll see you after though.” Tobin looks into Alex’s eyes, a toothy smile separating her lips.

Alex smiles back at her and looks down at Tobin’s hand resting on the table near her water glass. The hand moves to pick her pizza up and Alex watches her bring it up to her lips. It takes a few seconds for her to regain her focus. 

The rest of the meal is filled with pointless small talk. Tobin drives Alex home and they sit in her driveway quietly. “So, uh, thanks for playing with me. I haven’t been able to play in a long time.”

“When you’re not being overly competitive it’s actually kinda fun.”

Alex bites her lip and nods. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Want to sit with me?”

“Actually,” Tobin responds, “can I pick you up tomorrow? Like drive you to school?”

A smile grows across Alex’s face as she bobs her head. “Yeah. Okay.” Her smile grows even bigger. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She opens the door and slides out, her eyes locked on Tobin’s as she closes the door. It takes a moment before either moves, Alex taking a few steps towards her front door and Tobin shifting the car into reverse. As soon as Tobin gets home she calls Dom for some help with her mostly completed plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp... What do we think?


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. Hope you like it

Tobin stops in front of Alex’s house.  She pulls out her phone, bringing up Alex’s number from her recent contacts.  She takes a deep breath, before touching her finger to the call button, trying to calm her nerves.   After the second ring, she hears, “Hey, Tobin.  I’m almost ready.  I’ll be right out.”

“Okay, take your time.  I’m here whenever you’re ready,” Tobin responds.  She switches the phone to her other hand, rubbing the empty one dry on her pants.  Tobin hears a clatter in the background.

“Shit,” Alex mumbles to herself.  “Give me a minute.”  

Before Tobin can respond, Alex hangs up the phone.  Tobin stares at the front door for a moment before putting her phone in the cup holder and flipping the sun visor down.  She opens the mirror and looks at her reflection.  She checks her makeup quickly before popping a piece of gum into her mouth, chewing quickly. She runs her fingers through her hair, using them as a makeshift comb before putting her hair up in a messy bun. Hearing Alex’s front door slam shut, Tobin snaps the sun visor closed and looks up to see her jogging to the car.

Alex opens the car door and jumps in, bouncing slightly in the seat.  “Sorry,” Alex says, closing the door behind her and putting on her seatbelt. “We might be a little late, but I’m sure you can work some charm so we won’t be in too much trouble.”  Tobin nods.  “I would say try an accent, but I’m sure they will know you’re faking it.”

Tobin smirks, “I actually already have worked my charm.  Accent included.”  

“What?  How?” Alex asks, looking over at Tobin confused. “Did you call in the two minutes it took me to clean up the coffee I spilled?”  Tobin shakes her head, a giant smirk still covering her face.

“Of course not.  I called this morning before I left my house.  Also how could I not add in an accent? It’s my go to thing,” Tobin says before slipping into an accent.  “I gave my mom a slight New Yorker accent like this.”

Alex laughs while Tobin shifts the car into reverse, backing outing of the driveway. “And what about me?” she asks.

“For your mom, I just made my voice a little higher,”  Tobin responds with a higher voice, while switching the car into drive and heading towards the school.

“So you knew that I was going to be running late and just called the school to tell them we would get there eventually?” Alex asks, eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, sure,” Tobin says with a shrug. “Something like that.”

Alex gives her a look before leaning over to the radio, and pressing the third preset: the only station Tobin will allow Alex to play in her car.  She starts nodding her head to the song that fills the car.

Tobin makes a turn in the opposite direction of the school. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Alex look back at the road they just turned away from.  

“Umm…Are we picking someone else up?” Alex asks hesitantly.

Tobin shakes her head as she replies, “Nope.”  

She tries to keep a straight face with some success.  Not daring to look at Alex because she knows she will be unable to keep her composure, her eyes never leave the road in front of them and  her fingers tap at the wheel to the beat of the song that just came on.

“Then where are we going?” Alex asks confused. “We’re going  in like the exact opposite direction of the school and your house for that matter.”

“I know,” Tobin responds.  A small smile unwillingly creeps across her face. “We’re not going to school or my house.”

Alex’s eyebrows furrow even more. As they continue to drive further away from the school, Alex realizes that they will definitely be late now.  “What do you…What about school?  Where are we going?”  

Tobin pulls up to the red light and turns to look at Alex for the first time since leaving her driveway.  “This is my part of the bet,”   Tobin explains as the light turns green and she enters the onramp for the highway.  “You agreed to anything so you’re stuck with me.”

“But what about school?” Alex asks, worriedly.  “We can’t just skip school. Can’t we do this after?”

“We are both sick,” Tobin says as she merges with the other cars, and gives a fake, feeble cough.  “At least that’s what the school thinks.”

Sensing Alex’s hesitation, Tobin holds up her hand to silence her. “We made a deal.  Anything the other person wants.  I want you to spend the day with me.”

Alex stares at the side of Tobin’s head, knowing she should protest more about skipping school. All the logical arguments for them turning around and going to school fly out of Alex’s head and her nervousness begins to grow.

Tobin looks over, nervous, feeling Alex’s gaze on her.  “You said you’d never skipped school before.  Yesterday you said nothing important was due today so I figure why not today.  If you really want I can take you back and explain things.”

Alex shakes her head, knowing she had lost her will to fight as soon as Tobin admitted to wanting to spend the day with her.  She smiles as Tobin looks at her again and asks, “Will you tell me where we’re going?”

Tobin just smiles widely and shakes her head.  “Nope.  You’ll figure it out eventually.  It’s my favorite place.  I think you’ll like it,” Tobin says, before mumbling, “at least I hope so.”

Alex looks out the windows, searching for a landmark to help her determine where they could possibly be headed.  At first she thinks they might be heading for the mall, but within five minutes, Tobin passes the exit. Out of ideas for their mystery destination, she looks to Tobin for a clue.

Sensing the questions before Alex can even open her mouth, Tobin shakes her head. “I’m not giving you any hints. You just need to sit there and you’ll figure it out once we get there.  Now you can either talk to me or let Syd know you’re not going to be there today.  I’m sure she’s already wondering where you are.”

Alex groans, and reaches down to pull out her phone from her bag. Sure enough, she sees four increasingly alarmed texts  from Sydney.

**Syd: How’s the ride with your love???**

**Syd: The love thing was a joke. Don’t be mad :(**

**Syd: Did you die?  Tobin wasn’t at her locker and you’re not in class?  Please don’t be dead**

**Syd: I will kill her if you died before paying me back!**

Alex laughs softly, “She thinks you crashed on our way to school and killed us both.  She’s actually kinda mad that you killed me when I still owe her twenty bucks.”

Tobin smiles as she changes lanes, “It could still happen but tell Syd not to worry.  I’ll pay off your debt if you die.”   

Alex reaches over and backhands Tobin’s upper arm.  Tobin looks quickly at Alex, her mouth hanging open, before refocusing.  Tobin rubs her arm where Alex hit her, more surprised than hurt.  “Death is much more likely to happen if you hit the driver, Alex.”

Alex shakes her head and laughs before looking back down at her phone.

**Alex: I’m not dead Syd.  If anything I’m being kidnapped**

Alex sees Sydney responding almost immediately.

**Syd: Wait…really?**

**Alex: This is her part of the bet. She is making us cut school**

**Syd: What?  Where is she taking you?**

**Alex: She hasn’t told me yet. She just said her favorite place**

**Syd: I’ll ask Dom**

**Sydney: What’s Tobin’s favorite place?**

**Dom <3: Good try babe.  Alex’s just going to have to wait**

**Dom <3: Which reminds me.  You need to cover for Alex today**

**Sydney: So you knew this was going to happen and didn’t tell me???**

**Sydney: And just cause she has to wait doesn’t mean I have to wait. ;)**

**Dom <3: She’s trying to make this their first date**

**Dom <3: If I tell you can you please not tell anyone? In case something goes wrong or it backfires. **

**Sydney:  OMG!?!?!?  TELL ME!!! I won’t tell Alex**

**Sydney: Pretty pretty please**

**Dom <3: She is taking her to the beach.  I’m not sure what else they are doing I just know she is super nervous**

**Dom <3: She planned it all out last night while we were supposed to be working on our physics project**

**Sydney: That’s so cute.  Alex is going to die.  Keep me updated if Tobin tells you anything**

Alex waits for a response back, still looking around, trying to figure out their mystery destination.  Her phone buzzes in her lap and she opens up the text.

**Syd: No luck.  He was onto me.  Let me know what’s going on.  I want to know everything!  I’ll cover for you with coach**

**Alex: Thanks :D**

**Syd: Don’t get too handsy ;)**

Alex shakes her head and groans, tossing her phone back in her bag.  Tobin looks over with a grin, “No luck?”

“Nope.  Dom’s an iron vault.”  Alex looks out the window and doesn’t recognize where they are.

~~~

When Tobin pulls off of the highway an hour later, Alex starts to pay attention to their surroundings again.  She notices a sign that reads:

**_Diamond Beach Parking_ **

**_1 Mile_ **

“We’re going to the beach?” she asks, hesitantly.

Tobin nods, unable to read her tone and worried that Alex won’t like what she has planned. A few minutes later, she pulls into a spot on the side of the street right in front of the beach.  Tobin hops out of the car goes to the trunk to retrieve her backpack and a blanket.  She walks around to where Alex is waiting for her on the sidewalk.

Since it is the offseason, the beach is deserted except for an older man throwing a ball into the surf and two, dripping wet golden retrievers that chase after it.  Tobin leads Alex slightly away from the dogs and spreads out the blanket on the dry sand.  Tobin tosses her backpack down and kneels down in front of it.  She starts pulling at her shoelaces while  Alex sits down next to the bag and smiles, her worry about skipping school fading away completely as she realises she gets to spend the day with Tobin, alone, at the beach.

“So what do you have in your backpack?” Alex asks, reaching for it to look inside.

Tobin quickly grabs for it, pulling it away from Alex’s hand and into her lap.  “All in due time.  For now, play soccer with me.”  Tobin pulls a soccer ball out of the bag and rolls it to Alex.  Alex smiles as she picks up the ball and tosses it between her hands. She stands up and kicks off her shoes. “A friendly passing game. This is not going to turn into a competition,” Tobin implores after tossing her socks and shoes onto the edge of the blanket.

Although Alex’s face sinks ever so slightly, she smiles and nods before dribbling the ball through the sand. She turns around and passes it back to Tobin.  They pass it back and forth for a few minutes in silence before Alex stops the ball and looks at Tobin.   Alex lazily passes the ball back while asking, “So why is this your favorite place?”

Tobin traps the ball, passing it between her feet a couple times before looking up and passing it back to Alex.  “It’s calming. The waves, the sun, just everything.  Even when the beaches are so crowded there is no room to walk, I can just take my board and go sit on the water.  The waves are normally only a few feet tall but still.  Have you ever surfed?”

Alex shakes her head, “Nope.”  Alex just juggles the ball by herself while Tobin continues speaking.

“It’s amazing.  It’s kind of like flying.  You just forget about everything else and it is just you and the water.  The feeling is unbelievable.  I’ll take you once it’s warmer if you want.”

Alex smiles, “As long as you don’t make fun of me for falling.”  She passes the ball back and Tobin kicks it up, catching it in her hands.

“Of course not.” Tobin promises as she spins the ball in her hands, dropping it back to her feet and kicking it before it can touch the ground.  The ball sails high over Alex’s head.  Tobin grins while Alex looks at the ball that is rolling down to the surf and then glares back at Tobin.

“Really?” she asks. Tobin shrugs her shoulders and motions towards the ball that just rolled into the water.  “Fine,” Alex huffs, turning around and jogging towards the ball.  Tobin watches her back away from a semi-large wave before running in quickly and grabbing the ball before running out of harm's way of a new wave.  Once in range, Alex throws the ball at Tobin a little harder than the older girl expects.  She is too slow to prepare herself and it hits against her shin.  Tobin groans and falls to the ground gripping her leg.  Alex shakes her head and walks over to Tobin, extending her hand out. “Come on, you big baby, get up.” Tobin takes the extended hand but makes no move to plant her feet.  Alex tries to pull her up, but just ends up dragging Tobin across the sand.  “Ugh, you’re so heavy.”

Alex drags Tobin to the blanket and collapses on it, both of them laughing.  Tobin crawls up the blanket next to Alex.  She reaches for her backpack and pulls out a smaller blanket, draping it over them.  Tobin closes her eyes and leans back with her arms behind her head.  Alex copies her posture after a few seconds, moving her body slightly closer to Tobin’s so their elbows are touching.

“You’re not half bad with a soccer ball,” Alex says after a few minutes of silence.

“Yeah, I guess.  I’m nowhere near your level though.”  Tobin responds, not really liking where she thinks this conversation is going.

“Well I do currently play,” Alex quips.  She then turns to Tobin, more serious, “When did you stop?”

Tobin can feel Alex’s stare through her eyelids.  “After we moved, so right before ninth grade,” she answers hoping the conversation will end there.

“Why?  It’s not like you couldn’t have continued when you moved here.”  Alex asks leaning up onto her elbow and staring down at Tobin.

Tobin sighs, opening her eyes and looking over at Alex.  “My last team wasn’t so great.  It was really cliquey and honestly they were all uptight snooty bitches.  I didn’t know if the team here was going to be like that so I just didn’t bother.”

“So you thought being the lone girl on a football team would subject you to less harassment?”

Tobin shrugs, closing her eyes again, unable to meet Alex’s questioning eyes.  “Guys are more straightforward.  They had a problem with me they shoved me or let a tackler get through.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

Tobin shrugs, “It’s better than the names I got called.”

Deciding to drop the interrogation and lighten the mood, Alex lays back down and looks up at the blue sky.  They lay together in near silence for an hour, only breaking it to make random comments.  With each cold chill from the breeze off the ocean they shift slightly closer together until their arms are brushing.  They both lay silently with a smile on their faces until a particularly cold gust of wind makes Alex sit up.  She turns to Tobin, “So what else do you have planned for this day at the beach.  Is food involved because I am getting a little hungry?”

Tobin looks at her watch, and notices it’s almost noon.  She shoots up to her feet and grabs the blanket, stuffing  it back into her backpack and  throwing her bag over her shoulder.  She reaches her hand out to Alex, who grabs it, pulling her to her feet. Once standing, Alex loosens her grip slightly but Tobin doesn’t.  Alex looks towards Tobin, eyebrows raised, blushing.

Tobin chews on her inner cheek, looking at Alex nervously.  “Is this okay?” she asks, glancing down at their hands before looking back into Alex’s eyes.  It takes Alex a few moments to comprehend the question and gather her thoughts enough to respond.  Her eyes also flicking down to their hands before she looks up into Tobin’s light brown eyes.

Tobin starts pulling her hand away when Alex hesitates. She looks down at her feet embarrassed, her face heating up. Before her hand slips out, Alex’s grip tightens on Tobin’s hand, causing her to look back up. Alex smiles at her reassuringly and nods. Tobin sighs relieved, her smile getting bigger.

“Co-cool,” Tobin says, taking a deep breath before looking down at the blanket still on the ground. She leans over, not letting go of Alex’s hand, and grabs the blanket, shaking it out before tossing it over her shoulder.

Alex follows Tobin’s lead as they walk off of the beach together, hand in hand. Tobin glances to her left every once in awhile through the hair that has fallen out of her bun and into her face.  Alex smiles each time and Tobin quickly looks forward again, her blush deepening.  

They grab lunch at a sandwich shop, and Tobin insists on paying because it was her idea to spend the day at the beach.   They eat in an unusual silence. Tobin finds herself uncertain what to say, scared that she’s reading too much into a simple act of holding hands, while Alex remains silent waiting for Tobin to say something, anything to confirm the feeling that this was more than just settling a bet.

By the end of the meal, the only thing Tobin has said is “How is it?” and“Can I have a napkin?”  Alex shakes her head and decides she is going to have to take the lead.

As they walk out the door, Alex grabs Tobin’s hand, bringing her to a stop. “Tobin?”  Tobin looks down at their hands and then at Alex, a smile appearing on her face until Alex speaks again. “You do realize we need to talk about _this_ right?” Alex questions, bringing their hands up slightly.

Tobin sighs, dropping her head, “I was hoping we could just skip that part somehow.”  They slowly start walking towards the car, the sidewalk in front of them deserted.

“That’s not how this works, Tobin,” Alex sighs, moving a little closer to her as a cold gust of wind hits them.  Alex lifts her other hand, brushing her hair out of her face.  Looking over at Tobin she continues, “Look, we don’t have to make a big deal out of this if you don’t want to but I like you.”

Tobin’s eyes shoot up from her feet and meet Alex’s, startled by the admission. Alex smiles softly back at her waiting for a response. They stop walking a few feet from the car.  “Okay maybe skipping that part doesn’t really make sense.” Alex nods, waiting for Tobin to continue.  “Well then, I guess I should say it too.”

Alex looks down at her confused, “No.  I mean yes I would like you to say it back, but no. Don’t say it back just cause I said it.”  Alex starts to pull her hand out of Tobin’s moving towards the car but Tobin squeezes tight.

“Wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you freaking out???


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2...waiting is over

Alex stops and looks back up at Tobin.  She tries not to let the hurt on her face show as Tobin bites her lip, looking back.

“I’m not saying this because you said it,” the older girl starts, “I’m saying it because it’s true.  I kind of have a whole day planned out for us and I was hoping it could be our first date because I do like you Alex and I was hoping that you liked me back.”

Alex holds Tobin’s gaze as she talks, her smile growing each second.  When she finishes Alex doesn’t know what to say.  Tobin’s eyes go from Alex’s down to their still connected hands back up to Alex’s face.  Alex’s soft smile is the only thing that keeps Tobin from freaking out although it does cause the blush to remain on Tobin’s face.

A strong wind blows through them, causing both of them to shiver and the need to pull their hands apart as they move the hair out of their face.  Alex brushes her hair behind her ear, “So where are we going?”

Tobin leads Alex to the passenger door, opening it for her.  She climbs in, looking at Tobin and waiting for an answer.  Tobin looks down at her hands and then back at Alex, “Well  I was maybe thinking that if you were okay with it, uh, we could go bowling.”  Alex gives her a quizzical look, causing Tobin to question her plan and quickly retracting her previous statement.  “It’s kinda where we first started talking and I thought it would be nice to go again.  But that’s stupid so nevermind.  I- uh...where do you want to go?”

Alex stops her rambling by reaching her hand out and placing it on top of Tobin’s.  “That sounds perfect.”

Tobin looks up from where she had been staring at her hands to Alex’s eyes.  “Really?”

Alex nods.

~~~

Tobin parks and looks over to Alex.  “Ready?”

Alex smiles, “Not competitive, right?”

“Do you think you can beat me?” Tobin asks.

“I can try.  I won’t be a sore loser.  I promise.”  They both get out of the car and move towards the door.  

“You do know I’ve bowled a lot, right?  Like my best score is 250.”

“You’ll just have to buy me pizza for dinner then.”  Alex opens the door and holds it open for Tobin who smiles at her.  They look around at the few people at the lanes at 1pm on a Monday afternoon at the beach themed bowling alley.

They walk up to counter to get shoes and two balls.  They head to their lane and sit down to put their shoes on, their arms brushing.  Tobin then enters their names and it is Alex’s turn to bowl.  

Alex asks her about football and the team between frames.  She doesn’t even look at the score until the 8th frame, noticing she is beating Tobin by 15 points and was still below 100.  Alex watches Tobin send the ball straight down the left side of the lane, only knocking down three pins.  The next roll goes right down the same path, through the open space.

Alex doesn’t say anything until the game is over and Tobin sits down to start a second game.  She grabs her ball and quickly sends it right down the center of the lane.  She pumps her fist as all ten pins tip over, hitting the wood.

She heads back over to Tobin who is standing up. “Nice,” she complements, going in for a hug.

Alex stops in front of her.  “As cute as it is you purposely losing I would much rather lose fair and square.”

Tobin grins, “You noticed.”

“You got a few too many gutterballs.”

They play two more games, Tobin winning both handily but Alex barely notices.  She walks over to Tobin after she throws her last ball.  “That was really good.”

Tobin smiles at her, “Thanks.  You ready to head back?”

“Yeah.  Are you going to buy me pizza?”

“I can if you want to spend more time with me after the two hour drive back.”

Alex grabs Tobin’s hand after they return their shoes and balls.  “I do.  You said all day and that includes dinner.”

“We did just have pizza yesterday, what about we go somewhere a little nicer.”

Alex looks down at her jeans and soccer sweatshirt.  “I’m not really dressed for anything fancy.”  

Tobin looks down at her black sweatpants and white zip up.  “Good point.  Where do you want to go then?”

Alex smirks, “Surprise me.”

~~~

Tobin pulls up to Sydney’s house and turns to Alex, looking down at their hands that are connected over the center console.  “Thanks for coming with me.”

Alex’s eyes move to her lips and she nods.  “Thank you for taking me.  I had a lot of fun.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Tobin asks nervously.

“Yeah.  I’ll meet you at your locker.”

Tobin smiles.  “Don’t want me to pick you up again?”

Alex laughs as she opens the door grabbing her backpack from where it’s sat since this morning.  “I think it’s best if I get to school tomorrow before seeing you.”

Tobin smirks, “See you tomorrow.”

Alex waves after she closes the door and then walks up the steps to Sydney’s front door.  She knocks impatiently.  A few moments later she hears noise behind the door and it opens, revealing Sydney’s mom.

“Hi, Ms. Leroux.”

“Hello Alex.”  She smiles and then takes in Alex’s behavior.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I just really need to talk to Syd,” Alex tells her, bouncing on her toes.

“She’s in her room.  Go on up.”

Alex thanks her and then moves up the stairs two at a time.

“Oh my God. Syd,” Alex says as she bursts through the bedroom door.

Alex watches Sydney and Dom jump apart, causing Dom to fall off of the bed they were both lying on. Alex smirks and eyes Sydney who is flattening her hair and giving Alex an evil glare.  The glare only lasts for a second though as she remembers what Alex’s day entailed.

She quickly hops off the bed and runs over, grabbing Alex’s hand and pulling her to the bed, while excitedly saying, “Tell me everything.”  

Alex explains her day, ending with Tobin getting them Chinese take out and driving them to an empty parking lot to talk while they ate.  

“So that’s all you guys did was eat?” Sydney asks intrigued.

“We talked a lot.”

“And that’s all you did?” Dom asks.  Sydney and Alex both look to him, forgetting that he was still there.  “What?” he exclaims.  “I have a best friend involved in this story too.  I’ve been a part of this a lot longer than either of you.”

Sydney walks over to the desk chair he is sitting in, “And how long exactly was that?”

“I mean they did start talking to each other because of me.  I really am the sole reason they are together.”  He turns to Alex, “You’re welcome for that by the way.”

Alex smiles, “Thank -”

“What? No,” Sydney interrupts.  “She owes you nothing.”  Sydney turns to Alex, “What did you guys talk about?”

Alex’s smile stretches across her face. “We’re dating.”  

Sydney shrieks.  “Yay.  What else?  Tell me everything.”

“She’s my girlfriend and she’s ready to tell people if I am.”

“Are you?”

Alex nods, “I don’t know about like announcing it to the world but at least tell our friends.  I just know that she’s been harassed before,” Alex looks to Dom, “and I don’t want it to happen again because of me.”

Dom nods his head.  “We’ll have her back, she’ll be fine.”

~~~

Alex stands with Sydney and Dom at his locker, leaning against Tobin’s.  She works to keep her eyes turned away from the crowded hall so as not to watch each person passing.

“Um, excuse me,” Alex turns to find Tobin.  “I know you soccer players think you own the school but you’re standing in front of my locker.”  Alex laughs and steps to the side, Tobin’s eye’s track her.  “Sorry I’m late,  I overslept.”

“I figured.”

Tobin starts to open her locker, asking, “Can I sit with you at lunch today?”

Alex smiles “Of course.”  

A cough from next to them causes them both to turn.  “Dude.  I had to hear from Alex that you two were officially dating.  You couldn’t have sent one text saying ‘Hey dude. Alex is my gf.  Thanks for making me go bowling’.”

Tobin laughs and holds out her fist.  “Hey bro.  Alex and I are dating all thanks to you forcing me to talk to girls.”

He bumps her fist with his.  “Much better.”  The warning bell rings above their heads.  

Tobin turns back to Alex. “I’ll see you at lunch.”  Alex nods, reaching out and squeezing Tobin’s hand.  Tobin looks down, then around at the hallway full of students.  “Are you sure?”

Alex nods and drops Tobin’s hand, moving her arms around Tobin’s neck.  Tobin relaxes into the hug and puts her arms around her girlfriend’s waist.

“Al,” Sydney calls from next to them, “we gotta go.”  The two release and smile at each other before Alex turns and walks away with Sydney.

Dom throws his arm around Tobin’s shoulder and leads her to their classroom.  They both sit down and Dom leans over to whisper, “So dude, when are you going to kiss her?”

Tobin’s mouth moves as she wants to say something but no words come out.  She closes it and tries again “I don’t know.  I’ve never kissed anyone before.”  Dom looks at her sympathetically then starts laughing. “Dude.  It’s not funny.”  Tobin’s cheeks heat up.

“No, no, no.”  Dom stops laughings and holds up his hand.  “I’m not laughing at you. I was about to say I can teach you but realized that that’s not a good idea.”  

Tobin shakes her head at him, unamused.  “Can I ask you something kind of weird?”  Dom nods.  “Would it be weird if I asked Alex for her jersey.  Guys always have girls wear their jerseys on game day.  So would it be weird if I asked to wear hers?”

Dom shakes his head, “Not at all, she would probably love that.”

She smiles.  “Cool.”

~~~

Tobin walks into the cafeteria with Dom, heading straight for the empty chair next to Alex.  She slides down into the seat and Alex smiles over at her, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Tobin smiles back.

“HI,” Kelley says loudly on the other side of Alex.  They both turn their attention to Kelley who is grinning widely at them.  Kelley puts her elbows up on the table and leans closer.  “So Tobin…do I need to remind you that I know where you live?”

“Kelley,” Alex reprimands.  She turns back to Tobin, “Sorry.”

Tobin shakes her head chuckling, “It’s fine.  I know where she lives too.”  She then turns to Kelley.  “If I say I just want to make her happy can I not have to worry about you sneaking into my bedroom window?”

Kelley shrugs and then nods.  “I guess that will suffice, but I got my eye on you.”

Tobin’s eyes drift back to Alex, a huge smile on her face.  “Actually I have a question.  I was thinking that if you’re okay it that I could wear your jersey tomorrow.  I know I can’t be there but… I don’t know… it’s cool if it’s too much.”

Alex smiles and reaches over, taking Tobin’s hand that rests on the table between her own then reaching up and poking Tobin’s bicep, “You sure your huge biceps aren’t going to stretch out the sleeves.”

“Okay,” Meghan calls across the table.  “Enough.  I’m trying to eat.”

Tobin looks around at the table, blushing, and Alex holds up a middle finger and turns her fully body to Tobin.  “I can give it to you before practice today.  I keep them in my locker.” Tobin’s smile grows.

“Okay.  Cool.” She pulls her lunch out of her backpack and starts unpacking her sandwich and apple. She reaches in one last time and grabs a folded napkin out and slides it over the table to Alex.

Alex looks down at it then back up at Tobin who is unwrapping her sandwich.  She picks up the napkin and unfolds it, pulling out a cookie.  

“Why don’t you ever get me stuff?” Sydney complains from the other side of the table.

“Babe, if I made you cookies I would be giving you a burnt rock.  Do you not remember the cupcake story?”

“Okay but you could still try to be cute about things.”

“A diamond is technically a rock,” Christen adds, not looking up from the textbook in front of her.

Sydney smiles while Dom glares at her then turns to Tobin. “You’re making me look bad and it hasn’t even been 24 hours.”

“She’s been doing this for over a lot longer,” Lauren corrects.

Dom just shakes his head and turns back to Sydney.  “I gave you my letterman’s jacket.”

Sydney nods and leans over, “You’re right,” kissing his cheek.

Alex leans over during the exchange, putting her hand on Tobin’s leg. “Thank you, Tobin.”  Tobin smiles back at her.

~~~

“So how’s the not single life going?” Dom asks her as they stop at his locker after school on their way to practice.

“Well, all 20 hours of it have been great,” Tobin quips.  “But I don’t really think anyone but you and some soccer players know so it might start becoming complicated soon.”

“How do you think Serv is going to handle it?” Dom questions as he closes the metal door.

“I think they ended things pretty cleanly.  Luke is probably going to be a dick about it though.”

“When is he not a dick?” Dom asks rhetorically.

Tobin shrugs, “Can’t say I’ve ever witnessed it.”

The reach the stairs that lead down to the gym.  “He tackled me in practice last week and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get up for a moment.”

“Yeah.  He’s gotten to me a few times and he doesn’t go easy.  I thought coach was going to kill him when it took me a second to stand up.”

Tobin’s phone vibrates in her pocket and she pulls it out as they reach the gym.  “See you in a few.”

**Alex: I’m sorry for what is about to happen**

Tobin stares at the text confused, looking down at her phone as she walks into the room and starts replying.   She has half a response written out when she is grabbed from the side and hoisted over someone’s shoulder.  She yelps and grabs onto the person’s shirt for fear of falling.

She turns her head and looks up to see who it is but only sees long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.  She looks around and sees others changing, not paying attention to her.  The person carries her to the equipment closet and bends down to sit her in a chair placed in the middle of the room.  Tobin looks to the door and her eyes quickly find Alex, with apologetic eyes standing next to Ashlyn who had been the one carrying her.  She looks around and sees some other members of the soccer team standing around her.  

Tobin bites down on her lip, her focus shifting around to all the players.  “Um...Kay. What’s going on?”

Ashlyn speaks first, “I heard you asked Alex to be your girlfriend.”

Tobin’s eyes flick to Alex who smiles softly at her and nods her head.  “Uh yeah, yesterday.”

“Took you long enough,” someone mumbles.  Tobin turns towards the voice and thinks it was Kelley.

“Ash come on,” Alex says, “we need to get ready for practice.”

“We have time,” Megan answers from Tobin’s other side.  “I want to know what Tobin’s intentions are with our baby horse.”

“Tobin you don’t have to answer any of this if you don’t want to.” Alex says as she takes a step towards Tobin.

Megan holds her arm up, stopping Alex, her face turned towards Tobin. “I think she should answer the question before we start asking her the hard way.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Alex implores.  “You’re not going to beat her up.”

“We could tie her to the chair,” Ashlyn offers with a large smirk.

“Oooh, I like that,” Megan says.

“They’re not serious, Tobin.  You can get get up and leave.”  Alex says, pushing Megan’s arm out of the way and stepping in front of Tobin, holding her hand out.

“Alex.  You dated a football player before.”  Alex turns to Megan.

“Yeah and we broke up pretty amicably because I liked Tobin.”

“Wait, that’s why you broke up?” Tobin asks, butting into the conversation.

Alex turns back to see Tobin grinning. “Why else would we have broken up?”

Tobin shrugs, “I don’t know.  I thought it was because of me being benched or something but I didn’t really care.  I just was happy you guys broke up.”

“Again,” Kelley interrupts, “we’re still here.”

Alex pulls Tobin to her feet.  “Let’s go.”  She looks around at her teammates before pulling Tobin out the door.  Alex pulls Tobin to her locker, “I’m sorry about them.  I was putting the jersey down,” Alex points at the white jersey sitting on the wooden seat of Tobin’s locker, “and the few people that didn’t know yet found out, meaning Pinoe, and she kind of orchestrated that whole thing.”

Tobin shrugs, tossing her backpack down and quickly pulling out her clothes.  “It’s fine.”  She quickly pulls off her shirt as she kicks off a shoe.  Her hands go to the button of her jeans as she kicks off the other.  “I’ll see you after practice.”  Tobin looks up as she pushes her jeans from her hips.  Alex’s eyes follow Tobin’s jeans to the floor.  “Alex,” Tobin calls.

Alex looks up, blushing.  “Sorry.”

Tobin turns and pulls on a sports bra over her regular one and then reaches behind her back to unclip it.   She pulls it out from her sports bra and then  pulls on a pair of shorts.  She then turns to sit down, finding Alex still standing there.  “I’m sorry we can’t talk more.  I just need to get to practice.”  Tobin grabs her cleats and slips her feet in.

“It’s my fault.  I’ll see you later.”  Alex smiles at her as she quickly ties her shoes and walks to her locker.  She looks back to Tobin grabbing her pads, shirt halfway on.  Alex finishes getting ready and then looks to Tobin’s locker, spotting her helmet sitting it’s spot but the girl long gone.

‘ _Fuck, she probably needs that_.’  Alex walks over and pulls the helmet from the locker.  Kelley walks up next to her.  “She forget that?”

Alex nods, “You guys made her late so she was a little hectic.”  They walk out the door together, heading towards the football field.  Alex looks over the many stickers Tobin has arranged in a spiral on her helmet, smiling at how many there are. Once they are halfway there Alex sees Tobin sprinting towards them and smiles.  Once she is closer, Alex holds out the helmet.

Tobin’s face relaxes slightly.  “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says approaching them.  “You’re the best.” Tobin takes the helmet, smiling at Alex and Kelley quickly, before turning back around sprinting away.

Alex and Kelley turn towards their field.  “So you guys haven’t kissed yet,” Kelley states.

“Who told you that?” Alex asks.

“If you had she would have kissed you then.”

Alex groans while nodding her head sadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I know a lot of you are dissapointed that a certain something didn't happen... tell me about it. Yell at me. Is it ever going to happen?
> 
> On a completely unrelated note tonight is the night i have decided to clean my room and I would love someone to talk to as a form of procrastination. I'll answer almost any question about this story or the Don't Forget Me universe (won't give anything away but I might give hints...so you should come talk to me.) hit me up on tumblr (memyselfandmygirlfriend). I just really want someone to talk to right now and everyone I know is sleeping or ignoring me (it really could be either) (also btw I don't answer questions about the story publicly on tumblr cause people irl follow me that don't need to know about my writing but come talk to me...i'm super nice...I promise...a little sarcastic too sometimes)


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well i was going to post this like an hour ago but my internet went down so here ya go, better late than never

Tobin walks into school Wednesday, heading straight for her locker.  She smiles when she sees Alex leaning against her locker and moves a little quicker to her.  Alex reaches her arms up as Tobin approaches and Tobin steps into them, wrapping her arms around Alex’s waist.  Alex steps back, and gives Tobin a once over.

“Are you wearing it?” she asks.

Tobin nods and unzips her football sweatshirt to reveal Alex’s soccer jersey underneath.  Tobin shrugs off her backpack and then her sweatshirt.  Alex smiles at the 13 written on the back when Tobin turns around to put her stuff away in her locker.

“You switching to soccer?” Dom asks, walking over, as Tobin fills her backpack.

Tobin glances over her shoulder, “I might be.  They don’t smell as bad as you.”

Dom thinks for a second, nodding, “Alright.  Makes sense.”

Alex smiles as Dom and Tobin start debating the pros and cons of her switching to soccer.

“I don’t know man,” Tobin says, “they wear shin guards and I just don’t know if I can do that.”

Alex laughs, “Because wearing shin guards is too much but full pads and a helmet isn’t?”

Tobin nods, “I don’t have to wear shin guards.  My shins are free to world.”

Alex shakes her head while Dom laughs and pats her back, “I’ll see you in there.”  Tobin gives him a nod and he walks towards their class.  She turns back to Alex as the warning bell rings.  

“I’ll see you at lunch.”

Alex smiles, glancing down at her jersey again.  “What are you going to say if someone asks about the jersey?”

Tobin glances down then back up into Alex’s eyes.  “I was just going to say I was supporting the team cause I thought you weren’t ready for me to say we’re dating yet.”

Alex nods, “That sounds good.”

Tobin smiles, “Hug for the road?”  Alex chuckles softly and steps into Tobin, arms wrapping around the footballer’s neck and she feels arms around her back.

“Okay.  I’ll see you later,” Alex says, smiling at Tobin.  Tobin watches her walk away before moving to her class.  She walks in and blushes when Christen gives her a knowing smirk from across the cross the room.  She sits down next to Dom and pulls out her homework.

~~~

Tobin walks out of English class with Dom, almost walking into Servando heading in the opposite direction.  

“Sorry,” he notices it’s his teammates.  “Oh, hey guys..”  His eyes glance down at Tobin’s soccer jersey.  After a few seconds he gives a tight lipped smile and a small bob of his head.  “Alright, well, see ya guys later.

Dom looks over at Tobin as they head to their next class.  “Well that was awkward.”

Tobin shakes her head, “No.  He was fine.”

“If you say so.  Just let me know if he says anything and I’ll take care of it.”

“Dom.” Tobin shakes her head and gives him a side eye.  “It’s fine.  I can handle myself.”

“I know you can, but this is something you shouldn’t have to.”

“We’re fine.”

~~~

Tobin sits down next to Alex’s empty chair and looks around the table as she pulls her lunch out.  

“Nice jersey,” Kelley says from across the table, “mine would look better but ya know.”

Tobin rolls her eyes at Kelley, “I can wear it for the next game if you want but you’ll have to ask Alex first.”

“Ask me what?” Alex asks as she stops next to Tobin, resting her hand on her back.  Tobin smiles up at her as Alex slides into her seat.  

“Kelley wants me to wear her jersey next.  I said that was up to you,” Tobin turns to Kelley, grinning for getting her in trouble.

Kelley raises her hands in defense, “I was totally kidding.”

Alex raises her eyebrows, muttering, “Better be,” before turning to Tobin and asking, “so have you gotten any questions.”

Tobin slightly shakes her head, hesitantly saying, “No, but uh… I ran into Serv.”

“What happened?” Sydney asks, leaning in.

“Nothing.  I mean he kinda already knew I liked you and yeah.  He didn’t say anything.  Dom is skeptical but he’s also dumb.” She turns to Sydney who shrugs and then nods in agreement.

~~~

On Friday, Tobin walks with Alex to the locker room after school, wearing Alex’s red jersey this time.  “You gonna score for me?”

Alex shrugs, “I guess.  If it’s for you.”  

“Thanks,” Tobin smiles.  “Good luck.”

Alex tilts her head and pouts her lip.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tobin nods, keeping her eyes on trained on the rush of people around them to keep from giving away her secret.  She instead opens her arms and allows Alex to move into them.  “Hopefully me wearing your jersey will give you good luck even though you’re going to be so far away.”

Alex nods into Tobin’s shoulder.

“I’ll text you on the bus.” Tobin smiles.

~~~

**My Queen: So how’s the drive?**

**Alex: We’re like halfway there but it’s not bad.**

**Alex: Kelley is trying to see how much she can annoy Hope before she kills her**

**Alex: What are you up to tonight?**

Tobin sits up and slides to the edge of the bed, looking towards the bathroom.  She places the phone down and steps over the piles of Dom’s clothes on the floor.  “You almost ready?” she asks as she pulls Alex’s home jersey on over her thermal long sleeve.  Dom nods as he finishes writing the ‘2’ on his cheek.  “Alright, let’s go.”

They walk out the door of Dom’s house after saying goodbye to his mom and hopping into Dom’s car.   Tobin reaches over to the radio and Dom hold his hand up.  “If I have to listen to your music for two hours I might drive off the road.”

Tobin pulls her hand back and smiles as Dom pulls out of the driveway.  “Fine.”  She pulls out her phone to respond to Alex’s message.

**My Queen: Just chilling with Dom**

Tobin turns to look at Dom and smiles.  “They have no idea.  This is going to be so perfect.”

Dom nods, “I told Syd we were going to play video games all night so it’s pretty believable.”

**Alex: Kelley is lucky we haven’t played the game yet because I’m pretty sure Hope was going to throw her out the window**

**My Queen: Tell her I said behave or I’ll poison her next cookie**

It takes a little while before Tobin gets a response.  She spends the time talking to Dom about their first playoff game the next day.  

**Alex: She sat down after coach told her to stop bugging her**

**Alex: What are you and Dom up to**

Tobin thinks of her response carefully so she’s not lying.

**My Queen: Just listening to some music.  We might see if theres a game later to watch**

**Alex:  Too bad they don’t show my game or you could watch that**

**Alex: Are you going to hang out with anyone else?**

**My Queen: You…**

**Alex: I wish but you gotta be up early for your game tomorrow**

**My Queen: What if I just don’t go**

**Alex: Tobs you’re going to do great**

**My Queen: But they’re undefeated**

**Alex: I’m giving you the look I gave you yesterday.  They’re undefeated against teams that aren’t you.  You’re better. The teams better**

**My Queen: But they could be too**

**Alex: Tobin you’re going to do great.  You have your good luck charm this time**

**Alex: Okay were here.  I’ll talk to you after my game**

**My Queen: Good luck babe**

Tobin turns to Dom after putting her phone down.  “Are we there yet?”

~~~

Alex steps off the bus with a huge smile.  “What’s got you so happy?” Abby asks.  Alex shakes her head and grabs the medkit.  “So it’s Tobin?”  Alex nods.

~~~

“Where the bloody fuck are the bathrooms?”

“They’re right there ya idiot,” Tobin responds, pointing to the large sign.  “I’ll go find us seats.”

“No,” Dom replies loudly.  “I don’t want them to see you first.  Just come with me.”

Tobin laughs, “I don’t think we’re that close bud.”

“Fuck off,” he says while dragging her behind him.

Five minutes later they walk out of the school and towards the field where they can see both teams talking to their coaches.  They move to the far side and set their folding chairs up across from the Patriot’s bench.

They watch their girls take the field, lightly applauding so as not to draw attention to themselves.  The game starts and Tobin, now knowing the entire team’s name, easily starts announcing the game for Dom.

“Oh and what a diving save from Solo to keep the game tied at zero.  She rolls the ball out to Kling and look at that shortie run.  Can you believe she’s old enough to drive?  Well look at her drive that ball through the midfielder’s legs and pass it to Carli.  Now, this is not a well known fact but Carli has such a strong shot that it has caused a decapitation.  I wouldn’t believe it myself if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

“Would you shut up,” Dom mutters, slapping at her knee.  “That was a practice dummy that was more rust than metal.”

Tobin ignores him and reaches over, grabbing the fabric of Sydney’s sweatshirt.  “Morgan has the ball on a breakaway, galloping up the field.  Moves rig- No it was a fake.  She brings it to the le- Goal.”  She’s on her feet, clapping.  “Yes Alex.  Wooooooo.  Let’s go.”

In the middle of the team hug, Alex turns her head when she hears her name.  The large smile already on her face grows infinitely bigger when she sees Tobin on the sidelines.

Tobin smiles back at her and holds a thumbs up to her before clapping again and sitting back down.  Alex looks over at Tobin a few times in the short jog back.  Tobin grins back each time, happy with herself for surprising her.

“Dude, if you don’t kiss her tonight you’re on crack.”

“Not in front of everyone.  She’s not comfortable being out yet.”

Dom nods, clapping when the Patriots get a throw in.  “Okay but you need to do it soon cause she wants you and is having a hard time holding back.”

“Shut up,” Tobin mutters, leaning forward, elbows on her knees.

~~~

The game ends with a Patriot’s win, 2-1, and Alex jogs over to the two after shaking hands with the other team and her post game meeting.  

“You little liar,” she smirks as she comes to a stop in front of Tobin.

“Did you not like the surprise?” Tobin asks as she hugs Alex.

Alex holds onto Tobin tightly for a few seconds before stepping back.  “I did but you could have told me.”  Alex’s hands run down Tobin’s arm and she holds her hands for a second before stepping back as Sydney runs into Dom’s arms, kissing him.   Alex shakes her head and leads Tobin a few steps away.

“You played great, Alex,” Tobin smiles at her.

“Thanks.”

“I wish I could take you out tonight to celebrate.”

“It’s okay.  I’ll see tomorrow at your game and we can do something after.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Dom says, walking over.  “We’re going out after our win.”  He turns to Alex, “Sorry.”

Tobin rolls her eyes and looks back at Alex, “I can take you out after or we can just chill at the party together.”

Alex smiles and leans in, hugging Tobin again.  “I’ll see you tomorrow and if I don’t get to really talk to you before then just remember you’re going to do amazing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come talk to me about the draft or anything...since this is almost over I'm trying to figure what to write about next.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so I just realized i had a pretty big thing in the last chapter (it's in this one too) and no one commented on it, maybe y'all did notice and didn't say anything but pay attention to T&A communication ;)
> 
> Lots of football in this chapter...if you don't really care for it you can skim most of it...i tried to write the score out so you can kinda see what's going on...but if you do want to read it and don't understand it i will be super happy to explain

Tobin wakes up Saturday morning to sunlight hitting her face.  She groans as she reaches over mindlessly slapping at her bedside table for her clock radio.  She eventually hits the snooze button but not soon enough for her liking, she’s wide awake.  Tobin stares at the clock and watches the numbers change from 8:01 to 8:02.  She groans again as she pushes the sheets off of her body and rolls out of bed.

After a long, hot shower she pulls on her tight compression shirt that she wears under her jersey layering sweats on top.  She quickly brushes her hair before putting it in a ponytail and heading downstairs.  

She is greeted by the smell of waffles as she plops into a seat at the kitchen table next to her brother.  She forks a waffle from the pile in the center of the table, putting it on the plate in front of her.  She gets it down in five minutes, giving a thumbs up to her mom before heading back upstairs.

She checks her clock and sees she has about 30 minutes until she needs to leave.  She goes to her duffle bag to check that everything is packed, after triple checking she lays down on her bed and pulls her phone from the charger on her night stand.  She sees a few texts and slowly scrolls through them, saving the best for last.

**M.Green: [Team] Everyone needs to be at the school by 10 am.  Buses are leaving at 10:30 which means everyone needs to be on it by 10:20**

She goes to the next text.

**DD: You’re still good to pick me up right?**

Tobin quickly types out a response.

**Tobs: Yeah, I’m leaving in 15 so we should get there early.**

She clicks over to the next message.

**Tori: Good luck today.  Kick the ball good :P**

Tobin laughs as she types her response.

**Tobin H: I’ll kick tons of baskets**

She can’t help the smile as she moves to the last text.

**Alex: Hey Tobs, good luck.  I know you’re probably getting ready and stuff but hopefully you will actually look at your phone before the game and see this.**

**Alex: Also I thought I should let you know that I look way better in a 13 than 17 but that is possibly because my shoulders don’t really fill this jersey out.**

Tobin smiles at the thought of Alex wearing her jersey.

**My Queen: Well I can’t really make any critiques without seeing you in it**

**My Queen: It’s hard to know when I have only seen you in 13**

Tobin sees she has a response from Dom and Tori.

**DD: Good cause Matt is freaking out.  It’s like we’ve never had an early game before**

**Tori: Not baskets silly :P You kick home runs**

Tobin gets up, putting her phone in her pocket and starts making her way downstairs with her stuff.  She loads the car before heading back in to say goodbye to her parents.  They both wish her good luck and Jeff sticks his tongue out at her when she steals a bite of his waffle.  She climbs into her car, connecting her phone to the AUX cord and starts the 10 minute drive to Dom’s house.  She pulls up and less than 30 seconds later Dom is walking out of the house.  He gets in after throwing his bag in the back with hers and groans.

“Really. How does this music get you excited for a game,” Dom asks as he reaches over to grab her phone.

“It relaxes me but you always change it anyways so go ahead.”  Dom smirks and looks over at Tobin who had just finished backing out.  She notices him staring and quickly looks over.  “What?”

Dom holds up Tobin’s lock screen, waiting until they get to a STOP sign, before saying, “Alex sent you a picture.”

“So,” Tobin says, trying to seem unamused but secretly wondering what it is of.

“Are you guys sending each other... _pictures_ ,” Dom asks.

“Okay.  First off, no.  Second, hell no.  We haven’t even kissed.  Third and most important, so listen close,” Tobin says dramatically as he leans in slightly, “NO.”

Dom shakes his head as he changes the song.  

Tobin doesn’t say anything more as they drive to school, the only noise coming from the speakers and Dom as he pats his hand against the leg in tune to the song.

As Tobin is parking Austin and Connor pull up next to them.  They all get out, grabbing their stuff and head towards the school together, joking around.

They split ways as Tobin heads to her locker room.  As soon as the door closes she pulls her phone from her pocket and opens up the text.  She sees one unread message from Alex and pauses as she heads to her locker, sitting down.  She opens it as she kicks her shoes off and smiles when the picture loads.  It’s a mirror selfie of Alex wearing Tobin’s red jersey over a white long sleeve and dark skinny jeans.  She has black lines painted under her eyes and pigtails above each ear.

**Alex: Put me in coach**

Tobin quickly types a reply out before setting her phone down to get ready.

Tobin pulls off her sweatpants and changes into her game pants.  She pulls her jersey over her pads before sliding her helmet in and grabbing the facemask through the neck hole. Once she’s ready, she grabs her bag and heads out into the gym.  She puts on her headphones while she waits for the rest of the team to be ready.

~~~

Alex impatiently taps her foot, trying to put the previous night out of her mind.  Kelley is three minutes late.  She groans when she feels her phone vibrate, assuming it’s Kelley telling her she’s running late.  Her mood perks up slightly when she sees it’s from Tobin.

**My Queen: I think you look pretty good in 17.  Better than me even.  I’ll give you my pads to if you wanna play**

Alex writes a response while blushing.

**Alex: I think I’m pretty good at kicking a ball.  You sure you want me to take your spot?**

Alex hears a honk and looks up, spotting Kelley’s car outside her window.  She quickly gets up and heads out the door.  She opens the door behind the driver’s seat and starts to slide in, “You’re late.”

“Relax,” Kelley responds as Alex closes the door.  “We have plenty of time and blame Syd.  She wasn’t ready when I got to her house.”  

Alex glares at Sydney in the passenger seat as Kelley backs out of the driveway.

“Alex we’re getting there an hour early,” Sydney says, feeling Alex’s eyes on her.  “Tobin will be fine if you’re not there right when she arrives.  She’s been playing games without you for quite some time.”

“I just want to get good seats,” Alex confesses, leaning back into her seat.

“I think we’ll be fine.  Not a lot of people are going to drive the 45 minutes to this game that _you_ are making me,” Kelley says, with a smirk.

Alex looks at Kelley through the mirror and smiles, “Thanks Kel.”

Alex pulls out her phone as she feels it vibrate in her pocket.

**My Queen: If you want the spot it’s yours**

Alex sighs sensing Tobin’s lack of confidence in her voice.

**Alex: You’re going to do great Tobs.  Don’t worry about the other team.  All you have to do is kick the ball.**

It only takes a few seconds for Tobin to respond.

**My Queen: I guess**

**My Queen: But they won states last year and they have the best record in kickoff returns**

**My Queen: And I just don’t want to fuck it up**

Alex groans as she types a reply.

**Alex: You can only do so much.  Your team has to help you.  You can’t win the game on your own**

**My Queen: We’re here.  I’ll see you later**

Alex quickly types out a reply hoping Tobin will see it.

**Alex:  I’ll be there soonish. Good luck babe**

Alex looks up with a smile to Sydney turned from the front seat staring at her and Kelley looking at her through the mirror, eyebrow raised, while stopped at a light.  “What?”

Sydney smirks as Kelley starts driving, “Kel asked you what you were moaning and groaning about but you were too busy texting a certain someone to hear her.”

“Oh, uh sorry,” Alex stutters, “Tobin has just been worried about the game and...I don’t know.  She just puts the whole game on her shoulders even though there is only so much she can do.”

Sydney looks at Kelley, bringing her hand to her chin, “Does that sound like anyone you know, Kel?”

Kelley chuckles, “It sounds vaguely familiar but I can’t place it.  I just keep getting the image of a horse in my head but that can’t be right.”

“Oh shut up,” Alex whines, sinking into her seat.

“So speaking of you and Tobin,” Kelley segways, “how are you guys doing?”

“Okay.  I guess,” Alex breathes out.  “I kinda told my parents last night, after the game.”  

“WHAT?” Sydney squawks as Kelley turns around quickly before refocusing on the road.  Alex shrugs her shoulders, looking out the window.  

Kelley, more calmly than Sydney repeats the question, “What happened Al?  I thought you were going to wait.”

Alex turns and looks at the back of Kelley’s headrest.  “I was but I didn’t want to lie to them.  They saw Tobin cheering for me and asked who she was.  I told them we were kinda dating when they said she was a really good friend for driving two hours for the game.”

Alex looks back out the window while Sydney and Kelley exchange a look.  Sydney reaches back and rests a hand on Alex’s knee.  “So they didn’t have a good reaction?” she asks softly.

“They didn’t really react at all,” Alex says, her voice cracking, “and they weren’t gone when I left this morning.”  Sydney undoes her seatbelt and carefully climbs into the back, putting both arms around Alex.  Alex leans into her shoulder as tears fall down her cheeks.  They sit in silence for the rest of the ride, Kelley looking back every once in awhile, worried.

When they park they all sit in the car as Alex wipes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths.  “I’m good.”

Alex puts her smile on her face and goes to open the door but is stopped by Sydney.  Kelley speaks first, “Al, we can take a few minutes.  What did Tobin say?”

“I haven’t told her yet.  She’s been really nervous about this game and I don’t want to distract her.”

They sit in silence for a while until Alex feels ready.  She fixes her make up before stepping out of the car.  They get to the stands 45 minutes before kickoff and see the two teams warming up.  Alex sees Tobin towards the far end of the field swinging her leg while holding onto a bench.  The three soccer players get settled in at midfield and start talking about their upcoming game.  As the players leave the field to have a final pregame meeting Alex feels her phone vibrating in her pocket.  She pulls it out and sees it’s her mom.  She looks at it for a few seconds before standing up and pressing accept.

“Hello?” Alex asks, her voice devoid of emotion.

“Alex, honey.” her mom’s voice comes through the speaker, “Where are you?”

“A football game.  I told you I was going to go to the game yesterday,” Alex says annoyed.

“Oh right,” her mom says, “I forgot.  I’m sorry.  Your father and I had gone out to get you breakfast from the bakery in the city you like but you weren’t here when we got back.  I thought you went out for a run but then it had been too long.” Alex sits down at the end of the bleachers, staring at the ground, not responding. “We both want to apologize, Alex.  We didn’t handle the news last night very well.  We aren’t upset or disappointed we were just shocked.  It was something we didn’t expect but we still love you.”

Alex continues to stay quiet, but this time in shock instead of disappointment.  “I was thinking if you are both free you could invite...What is her name again sweetie?”

“Tobin,” Alex responds, still in shock.

“Tobin, got it.  Well your father and I want to meet her so we were wondering if you wanted to bring her to dinner tonight.”

Alex sits there silent before shaking her head and refocusing.  “I...uh...I’m not sure mom.  She might have team stuff to do after the game.  I wasn’t planning on seeing her until the party tonight.”

“Is she a cheerleader?” her mom questions, not understanding.

Alex can’t help but laugh at the thought of Tobin actually being a cheerleader, the image of her in the cheerleader outfit flooding her mind.“No mom.  She’s on the football team.  She’s the kicker.  Remember, we’ve talked about her before.”  Alex rubs her forehead, not really wanting to have this conversation.

“Oh she’s on the football team.  That’s who she is.  Got it sweetheart.  Well can you see if she’s free and if not we’ll just meet her some other time.”

“Alright mom,” Alex groans, trying to end the conversation.

“Oh wait, Alex.  Would she like chicken?  Does she eat meat?”

This causes Alex to chuckle a little and she wipes a single tear from her eye while responding, “Yeah, mom, she eats meat.  Just make whatever you want you always make too much anyways.”

“Alright sweetie.  I love you.  I’ll see you when you get home.”

“I love you too, mom.” Alex says as she hangs up the phone and runs a hand through her hair.  She looks over and sees Kelley and Sydney staring at her, worried expressions on both of their faces.  

She smiles as she stands up and walks back over to them.  She can tell they are trying to figure out her mood.  She gives them a soft smile as she sits back down next to Kelley.

“Was that your mom?” Kelley asks softly.

“Yeah.  She just invited Tobin to dinner so they could meet her.” Alex says, still in disbelief.

“What?” They both ask before Sydney continues, “That’s a good thing right?”

“I think so.  She apologized and stuff.”

“Well that’s good.  Means there cool with her.  Right?” Kelley asks.

“Yeah I guess.” Alex shrugs, looking over the now empty field.  

“So what does this mean for you and Tobin.  Are you ready to go fully public?”  Sydney asks, moving to the other side of Alex, so they are on each side of her.  “Like are you guys going to go public now?  I know you were keeping it closed lipped partially because of not being ready to tell them.  Does this mean you’re ready?”

“I don’t know.  I think so.  I think I want to.” Alex looks between her two friends until the announcer comes on over the loudspeaker.

They all turns towards the field as the Patriots are announced.  Like always, they walk onto the field, stern faced towards their bench.  The 50 people that made it out to the game plus the cheerleaders all cheer until their silenced by the calling of the home team with the much bigger and louder cheering section.  Alex watches as the opponents come running out in their gold jerseys.  She then searches the mass of white uniforms for Tobin.  It is impossible to see her, blocked by her much bulkier and taller teammates.  

Alex shakes her head as she watches them do their chant before the coin toss.  The  Patriots choose to kick the ball so Alex is finally able to pick out Tobin as she runs out onto the field.  She is unable to keep the smile off of her face and Kelley elbows her gently, smirking when Alex looks over at her.

Tobin kicks the ball all the way to the other sides 15 yard line where it’s caught by the Knights.  Their runner is able to get 60 yards before being brought down right around the Patriots 25 yard line.  Tobin hits her helmet with her hands as she trots off the field.  Alex sees Servando pat Tobin’s shoulder pads as he runs by her onto the field.  

Tobin pulls off her helmet and angrily sits down on the bench.  Alex watches her, wishing she could calm her down without distracting her.  She loops her arm through Kelley’s, who looks between Alex’s face and Sydney’s.  “Hopefully neither one of you break me today or Jill might be a little upset.”

Sydney and Alex both tightly grip Kelley’s hands simultaneously causing the shorter girl to cringe and pull her hands out of their grasp.  “I hate both of you.”

Alex shakes her head as the Knights score a touchdown on their third play.  She looks to Tobin who is standing on the sideline talking to a few players.  She can tell they are getting instructions based on how Tobin’s hands are moving and how the players’ helmet covered heads are bobbing.

Alex watches the next few plays and the team’s lack of progress up field, only getting 15 yards from the their own 30 until Tobin jogs out onto the field to punt the ball.  The other team is able to get back over the half field line easily, being brought down not far from where Tobin punted the ball.  Tobin rips off her helmet as she goes to the sideline, heading straight for one of the coaches.  

Alex stares worriedly at Tobin, watching her girlfriend’s gestures.  “So maybe it’s not the best idea for you to take her to meet your parents tonight,” Kelley says, also noticing Tobin’s anger.

“Yeah, we’ll see.  I’ll probably wait.  See how she feels tonight after dinner and then maybe tell her,” Alex responds, turning back towards the field.  She watches as the other team is forced to kick a field goal after only gaining 20 yards.  

The score stays 10-0 for the rest of the quarter.  Tobin comes on early in the second quarter to punt the ball.  Alex watches her pat the center’s back as he walks towards the line and she lines up a few yards behind him to catch the snap.  

Alex grips Kelley’s hand tightly as she sees Tobin bring the ball up to her chest instead of holding it out in front of her as she should to punt it.  “Oh my God.  Oh my God.” Tobin looks around as an opposing player breaks through her line and charges at her. “Watch out,” Alex shouts.

Tobin ducks as the player dives, flying over her.  She quickly scrambles towards the side, two guys behind her.  Looking up field, she launches the ball.  Alex cringes as both players tackle her to the ground, she can hear the crunch of pads and helmets colliding.  Alex hears Sydney yelling, “Nice catch baby,” as the other three fall to the ground.

Alex quickly looks to see Dom being pushed out of bounds twenty yards from the end zone.  Her eyes move back to Tobin who is still under the two players.  After the first one is up Dom starts jogging over and reaches her by the time the second one climbs off.  Tobin stays down, her arms and legs spread out wide.  Alex stands up, moving to the railing as Dom bends over, putting his hand on her stomach.  After a long couple of seconds, he pats her stomach and stands up, offering her a hand.  Alex lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as Tobin grabs Dom’s hand and is pulled to her feet.

“You going to sit down or do you think we can try and get field seats for the rest of the game?” Sydney jokes.  Alex glares at her as she sits back down, quickly pulling out her phone while she grumbles incoherently.

After sending a text, Alex puts her phone away and leans towards Kelley to rest her head on her shoulder for a few seconds as she looks at the back of Tobin’s head, confirming to herself that she is okay.  Everyone jumps up cheering as Matt throws the ball for a touchdown.  It takes Alex a moment to refocus on the game to see what the cheering is for before clapping along.  She claps even louder a minute later when Tobin scores the extra point.  

The celebration isn’t too long when the other team scores five minutes later.  Alex’s eyes don’t leave Tobin for the rest of the half, thankful that in the four plays that Tobin is on the field she remains on her feet, untouched.  One of them even ending in a field goal.

The half ends, Patriots down 10-17.  Both teams jog off the field as Alex stands up, turning to her friends, “Bathroom?”  They both shake their heads.

“I’m starving, and those burgers are calling for me,” Kelley says, motioning to the snack stand.

Alex sends another text as she heads for the bathroom.

~~~

Tobin slams her helmet against the door as she walks through it.  “What the FUCK?”  she yells to the full yet silent room.  The coaches walking in behind her stay silent as she continues.  “WHY are _they_ walking all over _us_ ?  WHY are _they_ getting 50 plus yards on every kickoff?  What the _HELL_ is the point of me kicking the ball if _we’re_ going to let them get right back to the spot I kicked it from?  Why not just put it down and give the ball to them?”  Tobin says sarcastically.  She sits down next to Dom as she continues.  “We’re not playing as a team right now.  We’re not playing as us.  This is FUCKING ridiculous.  Get your heads focused on this game because wherever the FUCK it is now isn’t helping.”  She ends her rant by pounding her helmet into the lockers next to her.

The coaches let her words sink in for a few moments before taking over to start going over what needs to be fixed in the next half tactically.

~~~

Tobin walks out of the away team locker room next to Connor.  He puts his arm around her and squeezes as they walk to the field in silence.  Tobin stands on the sideline as they receive the ball, cheering on her team.  Something motivated the team because they were able to get to the 30 yard line.  They get another first down after a 6 yard run and a short 5 yard pass.  They get 8 more yards before Tobin comes out to kick a short field goal.  She easily makes it bringing the score up slightly to 13-17.

The next drive leads the other team to a field goal, bringing their lead back up to 7 with the score 13-20.  The score doesn’t change for the rest of the quarter.  Tobin looks at the scoreboard before jogging out to the field to punt the ball.  ‘ _15 minutes left, down by 7 points. Easily possible._ ’  She lines herself up then calls out.  The ball is in her hands in milliseconds.  She spins it just right so as she drops it the laces are facing up.  The ball connects perfectly with her foot and she drives it far down field.  She watches her guys go for the runner as he cradles the ball and starts running.  The runner spins out of their reach and heads up field.

“Fuck,” Tobin mumbles as she sets herself up, lining herself up as the runner sprints upfield along the sideline.  Luckily he is brought down before he gets to Tobin but she was only one sidearm away from attempting to tackle him.  She rips off her helmet as she takes the two steps necessary to get off the field.  She watches as the other team is thankfully stopped from getting another touchdown but they do get a field goal, bringing the score to 13-23.  

Tobin readjusts her ponytail before slipping her helmet back on, waiting for her chance to make something happen.  She watches Matt drop back and scans the field herself as he runs towards her on the sideline to avoid getting tackled.  Tobin spots Dom 20 yards from the end zone with some separation from the guy marking him.  By the time she looks back to Matt the ball has already left his hands and is spiraling towards Dom.  He jumps up to catch it near the 15, the defender diving to try and bring him down but can’t get enough force and Dom just stumbles.  He steadies himself with his empty hand on the ground before continuing his run, easily into the end zone.  He holds both hands spread out above his head as the teammates on the field jump on top of him.  

Tobin has a few quick words with the special teams coach before jogging onto the field for the extra point.  She gives a quick order in the huddle before calling break and taking her position.  She takes a deep breath before giving a small head nod, letting Ryan know she’s ready.  He gives the signal and the play starts.  The ball gets snapped back as Tobin starts to run forward.  She runs in front of Ryan as he spins, tucking the ball under his arm.  She quickly cuts right and he follows her around the line.  Tobin sees a golden jersey coming towards them and dives, bringing the guy down.  Ryan dives over her and into the endzone.  He jumps up raising his arms and running to Tobin as the rest of team runs to him.  He holds out a fist for her to bump which she does.  She turns and jogs to the other side of the field, getting a bunch of pats on the head and shoulders from her teammates as she prepares to kick the ball off to the other team.  

Tobin smiles as they are able to bring down the runner before he can pass over the 50 yard line. “Finally,” she mutters while heading over to the sidelines.  The score stays at 21-23 as the two minute mark passes.  Tobin groans as the Knights run her punt over the 50 and to the 38 yard line.  She trots off the field to watch her defense try to stop them from scoring again.

The Knights’ quarterback hands the ball off twice, each time they get a few yards, leaving them at 3rd and 1 on the 29 yard line.  Tobin watches the quarterback step back and hold the ball out for one player before pulling it back and looking up field.  Tobin sees a gold jersey with room around him near the 5 yard line the same time the quarterback does.  She watches the ball sail through the air towards the receiver, she then sees a white jersey sprinting towards the ball.  She looks and sees it’s Servando as he dives, plucking the ball out from in front of the Knights’ receiver.

The Patriots’ sideline is jumping as he stands up still holding the ball and is swarmed by their teammates on the field.  The offense quickly runs on with just a little over a minute to go.  Matt lines up behind the center and quickly calls hike, sending the ball into his hands and the receivers up field.  He looks around and spots Dom well ahead of his blocker and sends the ball spiraling towards him.  The rest of the players on the field adjust, running towards Dom to either tackle or block a tackle.

The ball lands perfectly in Dom’s arms and he tucks it into his chest as he runs over half field.  He makes it all the way to the 20 before finally being pulled down.

Matt quickly calls a time-out and everyone gets organized to run the next 3 or four plays no huddle.  Once they are all set, they line up and Matt calls hike.  He quickly tosses the ball behind him to Ryan who tries to take it around the line but is brought down before he can make any forward motion and is brought down at the 27.

They quickly line up again as the clock winds down, Matt calling hike, and stepping back with the ball.  He looks in front of him for an open receiver. He winds his arm back as an opposing player jumps on him, knocking the ball free from his hand.  Everyone watching holds their breath as there is a mad scramble for the ball.

Tobin watches Austin dive onto the ball, knowing they kept possession she walks over to the head coach as the players on the field quickly huddle. They talk quickly while the team lines up behind the 35 yard line. The coach turns his head away from the game as he listens to Tobin.  They both turn when they hear the whistle blow, seeing the ball bouncing along the ground.

The coach quickly looks up at the scoreboard and sees its 4th and 25 on the 35.  He turns back and stares into Tobin’s eyes, “Are you sure?”

“More sure than anything else.”

The coach quickly turns and calls for a timeout right before Matt bends to snap the ball.  “FIELD GOAL UNIT, ON,” he shouts, confusing many of his own players as well as the other team.  He slaps Tobin’s helmet, “Let’s go kid,” he says as she runs onto the field.  Her teammates although still confused follow her out onto the field.  Matt throws his hands up into the air, walking off the field with his helmet in his hands, straight towards the coach.

Tobin gathers the other 10 players on the field with her while the other team quickly switches their players as well.  “We’re going to win this game right here, right now.  Just block them long enough so I can get the kick off.”

Tobin notices a few players look around before one finally speaks up, “That’s a long kick Tobin.  Wouldn’t a trick play be better?” Austin asks.

“No,” Tobin responds forcefully.  “That is exactly what they are expecting.  I can make this.  Let’s go...RREeady.”

“Break,” they all say together with a quick clap, heading to their positions.

Tobin takes a few deep breaths ‘ _I can make this._ ’ and gives the head nod.  Right before the snap is called the whistle blows.  Tobin groans as the ref signals a time out from the other side, trying to psych her out.  She shakes out her legs as she holds up her hand and shakes her head, signaling the other players to stay where they are.  “They’re just trying to psych us out.  We know what we’re doing.”  Her eyes focus on the spot where the ball will be snapped to.  “We know what we’re doing,” she says to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i have two directions I might go in for a new story, one from recs another that I kinda thought up. not sure if it's a decent story though so I want to ask you guys to read it knowing I might not write anymore. I have about 3k written. message me on tumblr (not annon) if you want to read it and I'll send you a link


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here ya go

Sydney leans around Kelley, “Can she make that?”

Alex looks at Tobin then at the spot where the holder is still kneeling.  “That’s a little farther than she’s been practicing. Maybe it’s going to be a trick play again. “

Kelley shakes out both of her hands and then nervously offers them to either girl.  Alex smiles as she gently interlocks their fingers together.  Sydney does the same on Kelley’s other side as the Knights run back onto the field.

The Knights are spread out, expecting a trick play and ready to stop a run or pass.  There is one player standing near the end zone waiting to stop anyone that comes near him or to catch the ball if Tobin’s kick falls short.  Alex watches Tobin again count out her steps and nod her head.  

The ball is snapped back a second later.  As soon as the holder has placed the ball down Tobin’s foot is connecting and driving it forward.  Alex stands, still holding Kelley’s hand, eyes locked on the ball.  It flies high over the players at the line reaching up for it.  Everyone turns and watches as the ball sails through the air.  The lone Knight in the endzone backs up as the ball gets closer and closer, ready to catch it.

The stadium is silent, for the three very long seconds it takes for Tobin to send the ball 52 yards down field.  As soon as the whistle blows and the two referees standing under the goalposts step out, hands in the air, the visitors section goes crazy, or as crazy as it can for a bunch of parents, a few dedicated fans, and three soccer players.  The cheerleaders are jumping, shouting, and hugging each other while waving their pompoms vigorously in the air.  The team is going crazy, jumping on Tobin while she tries to get to the other side of the field to kick the ball back to the Knights.  

After cheering loudly Alex can see Tobin pushing her teammates away from her and pointing to where they should be.  Some jog off the field while the team on the sidelines is still jumping up and down and going crazy.

Alex sees Tobin look around to check if her teammates are ready then sets the ball on the tee.  She sits back down as Tobin steps back, both of her legs bouncing nervously on the bleachers.  Tobin kicks the ball far and her teammates chasing after it.  The other team catches it  but is only able to make it five yards as three Patriots players dive on top of him with 3 seconds left.

Tobin jogs off the field, getting jumped on by many players.  They then form a wall along the sidelines as the defense gets set up for the last play of the game, their hands connecting each other down the entire line.

Alex grips Kelley’s hand tighter as she watches the Knights’ quarterback drops back, searching up field.  Her breath catches in her throat as the ball is launched far up field.  She watches it soar through the air, spiraling down right towards a player. She sees Servando also running towards where the ball is going to coming down.  She watches as he dives, reaching his hand out and tipping the ball with his fingers.  The ball sails over the the player’s head and falls to the ground.  The final whistle blows, ending the game, 24-23, Patriots.

Alex stands up cheering loudly as every player on the Patriot’s side run out onto the field, heading for Servando.  Alex hugs Kelley and Sydney who are cheering loudly beside her.

Once they break apart Sydney grabs both of their wrists and pulls them to the stairs.  They step off of the bleachers and move to the fence that surrounds the field.  They find an opening and step through as the celebration on the field continues.

Sydney regrabs Alex’s hand and start to pull her onto the field, “Come on.”

Kelley snickers. “Yeah totally fine.  I’ll just stay here.  All by myself. Alone,” she calls out as the two step onto the turf. Sydney waves and Alex looks back quickly with an apologetic smile but neither stop walking.

They stand near the edge of the circle of large, pad covered, football players.  Alex tries to look over everyone’s head but is unable to find Tobin.  She looks to her left to ask Sydney if she can see anything but finds the space empty.  When she turns back to the mob of players she sees Sydney’s back as she uses her elbows to move between the players.  Alex looks back up towards the middle of the swarm and sees Tobin, raised up above everyone.

~~~

Tobin feels a hard surface come up from behind her, lifting her high into the air.  She smiles as she looks down and is surprised by who she finds.  Servando looks back up at her with a smile.  “Your kick saved us.  That was amazing,” he calls up loud enough for her to hear.

“Well, _your_ interception made it possible,” Tobin replies with a smile.  Servando shrugs the best he can, bounces her on his shoulder slightly and raises his helmet in the air with the other hand, shouting out.  Tobin smiles as she and a bunch of the others around them do the same.  She looks out and notices Alex standing at the edge of the mob, smiling up at her.

Tobin can’t help the even larger smile that comes across her face as she pats Servando’s head to get his attention.  When he looks up she asks, “Can you let me down?”  He nods and puts her back on her feet.  Once her feet are on the ground she notices Jason in front of her.  He wraps his arms tightly around her and picks her feet up off the ground in a bear hug.  Tobin can’t help but laugh as she is squished in his embrace.  After a few seconds he sets her down.  Tobin pats his shoulder and then points over her own at Servando.  “I think he just made the game winning save and for some reason is still on his feet.  Want to fix that for me?” she asks.  Jason smiles and runs at Servando, lifting him quickly from behind.  Tobin can hear him yelp as she makes her way through the sea of white jerseys.  She gets stopped a few times for pats on the head but after a minute she breaks out of the circle and sees Alex still standing there.  

Alex rushes forward and wraps her arms around Tobin’s neck.  “That kick was so amazing.  I am so proud of you.  I told you, you could do it,” Alex says into Tobin’s ear.  

“Thanks,” Tobin mumbles as she loosens her arms around Alex’s torso to step back.  Alex’s grip remains tight around Tobin’s neck.  Tobin turns her head towards Alex, confusion written all over her face.  Alex tilts her head, pressing her lips against Tobin’s.

The helmet drops from Tobin’s fingers as Alex’s hand cups the back of Tobin’s neck.  Both of their eyes flittering closed.  Alex brings her other hand up to Tobin’s cheek while Tobin’s hands move to Alex’s hips, holding over where her red, home jersey is tied into place with a hair tie.

Just as Alex’s hand moves up from the base of Tobin’s neck to her hairline a large Gatorade jug is emptied over their heads.  They burst apart, drenched, dripping blue Gatorade.  They both breathe heavy as Tobin looks around Alex to find the culprit.

Tobin sees Austin and Connor, both pointing at each other, each of them holding one of the handles for the jug.

“Seemed like you two were getting a little hot,” Connor states, smirking.

“As your teammates we had to help cool you down,” Austin finishes.

Dom appears from behind Tobin with Sydney following.  “You guys also didn’t seem to notice all the whistling.” Tobin looks behind Dom and sees a bunch of the team smirking.

Tobin’s cheeks heat up as she turns back to Alex who still has a smile on her face.  She just shrugs and reaches up wiping her face and takes the step separating them to grab Tobin’s hand.  Tobin smiles and looks down at their hands before back up into Alex’s eyes.

Alex leans over and kisses her lips again, pulling away slowly.  Tobin’s blush deepens as she looks up at Alex.  “I..I uh thought you didn’t want to be public yet,” Tobin stutters.

Alex smiles, “I changed my mind,” Alex states proudly before second guessing herself.  “That’s okay right?”

“I mean it was a little surprising,” Tobin wipes away some more Gatorade that drips down her face from her hair, “but maybe we can revisit this after I shower.”

Alex shrugs with a mischievous look, “What if I like the taste of Gatorade?”

Tobin’s jaw drops slightly as she stares at Alex, but she is luckily saved from figuring out a response by her coach calling out for the team meeting. She looks towards her team then back at Alex.  She leans over and presses a quick kiss to Alex’s lips, leaning back, staring Alex right in the eyes as she licks her lips tantalizingly.  Alex’s eyes flick down to Tobin’s lips until Tobin turns and heads away.  Sydney takes her place in front of Alex, Kelley soon joining next to them.  Both of them looking at Alex, shocked.

“Damn Al,” Kelley grins.  

“Yeah,” Sydney echoes, “getting all hot an’ heavy in the mid-”

“We were not getting hot and heavy,” Alex interrupts.  “It was just a kiss.”

“She seemed pretty dazed from that kiss,” Sydney says with a huge grin.  “If it wasn’t for the bath, you might have had to scoop her up bridal style before her legs gave out.”

“Stop lying Syd,” Alex says before turning to Kelley, “Really?”  Kelley shrugs, a huge grin covering her face, not answering.

There is a loud cheer and the three girls look towards where all the football players are kneeling around the coach.  Alex spots Tobin right away getting pushed around gently by some people next to her.

“Tobin get up here,” the coach calls. After some pushes, Tobin stumbles, getting up and carefully walking to the front.  “So it has been confirmed that Tobin’s 52 yard field goal is the NEW...SCHOOL...RECORD!”

Alex watches as Tobin slouches and bites her lip to a chorus of grunting cheers and hands smacking helmets.

Tobin looks up, searching for Alex.  Their eyes meet and Alex has a huge smile on her face, Tobin’s smile grows slightly and she looks back at her team.  She smiles at her teammates as her coach puts his hands on her shoulders from behind and shakes her.  Tobin goes back to her spot a few moments later, giving a small smile to Alex before she turns back around.

Kelley nudges Alex, “Look at your girl, being all shy and humble for that amazing kick.”  Kelley groans, “And I’m still single as fuck.”

Alex and Sydney laugh, “I’m sure I could find someone for you Kel,” Sydney says.  “I can get you laid, easy.”

“You can walk home,” Kelley quips as the team cheers again.  Alex looks over at the team real quick, seeing them still gathered she turns her back on them and faces her friends.

“Who’s hot to you,” Sydney asks.  Kelley’s face lights up as she starts to list celebrities and classmates she finds attractive, soon running out of fingers to count on.  Alex feels arms wrap around her and a soft torso press into her back.  She smiles, her hands instinctively going to the arms around her neck, rubbing them gently.

She smirks at her friends as she feels a chin rest on her shoulder.  “So did you guys know I’m dating the best kicker in school history even though she doesn’t play soccer?” Alex asks rhetorically as she feels the arms tighten slightly.

Sydney and Kelley both shake their heads at Alex and congratulate Tobin before walking away.  Alex turns around, Tobin’s arms settling around her hips.  Alex takes in Tobin’s tight white undershirt before leaning in, grazing her lips against Tobin’s.

“So um,” Alex starts, “we have some stuff too talk about.”

Tobin nods, “Can it wait?” she asks looking up at Alex with puppy dog eyes.

Alex looks at her confused, “Um sure.”

“Good,” Tobin say, softly as she leans forward, pressing their lips together.  She pulls apart so their lips are just brushing, “because I’ve been thinking about doing this all week...well longer than that but as a real possibility thi-”

Alex presses her lips into Tobin’s, bringing her hands back to Tobin’s neck, tangling them in the loose hair.  Alex pulls away, chuckling.  “You’re sticky...and a little sweaty.”

“Don’t worry.  I’ll shower before tonight,” Tobin replies, leaning back in.

Alex bites her lip, pulling away slightly. “About tonight…” she draws out, Tobin’s face turns to worry and confusion. “My parents kinda invited you over for dinner to meet you.  If you’re available that is and don’t have team stuff that is.”

Tobin’s eyebrows raise slightly, “I mean we were going to go to dinner to celebrate but I was going to see if you wanted to come with me.  Why do they want to meet me?”

“I told them we were dating.”

Tobin’s jaw drops.  “You… you told them.  I thought you said you needed time.  When?”

“Last night.  They saw you at the game.”

“They were at the game?” Tobin asks nervously.

Alex nods, taking Tobin’s hand.

“Um...okay...so they’re not upset or anything?”

“I don’t actually know.  I thought they were upset but my mom called me and apologized and said she was just surprised.  I’m not fully sure what to expect.”

“Well, I mean I can blow off the team dinner if you really want.”

Alex shakes her head.  “No you should go.”

“Well do you want to come with?  Dom is probably inviting Syd and Kelley is totally invited too.”  Tobin looks over Alex’s shoulder at Kelley who is standing with a few of her teammates.  Alex bites her lip, playing with the hem of the red jersey.  “I could come pick you all up so Kelley doesn’t have to drive.”

Their coach calls for them and Tobin turns her head quickly, seeing the team starting to walk away.  She turns back to Alex, “Just text me what you want me to do.”  Tobin leans down to pick up her pads and helmet.  

“Wait,” Alex says before Tobin can walk away.  “You’re forgetting something.”  Tobin looks at the ground for something she might have dropped as Alex steps closer again.  She looks up and smiles.

“I wasn’t leaving yet, not without doing this.”  Tobin’s free hand wraps around Alex’s back and pulls her in.  Their lips connect and Alex smiles against the salty, sweet taste of gatorade and sweat that coat Tobin’s lips.  Tobin pulls away begrudgingly after a few seconds.  “I’ll see you tonight if not sooner.”  Alex nods and Tobin jogs away.  

Five minutes later, Tobin climbs onto the bus and moves to the seat her and Dom have shared all season.  

“Dude,” Matt says across the aisle, holding out his fist.  “That kick was amazing.”

Tobin bumps his fist with hers and reaches into her bag, pulling her phone out.  She has a few texts and starts looking through them.

**Alex: So I know you like to play football but you’re not allowed to get tackled**

**Alex: Hey I know you’re not going to see this but hopefully you can feel the positive vibes I’m sending.  You’re doing awesome and I know you’re going to be awesome next half too**

**My Queen: I think your positive vibes helped me with that kick so thank you**

She switches over to her next text from her mom.

**Mama: Hey sweetie, my meeting ended up getting cancelled so I’m going to try to make it to your game.**

**Mama: Just got here.  The second half just started.**

**Mama: There’s a girl wearing your jersey.  Is there something you need to tell me missy?**

**Mama: She’s cute and with Kelley from next door.**

**Mama: That was an amazing kick.  I’m so proud of you.  You seem a little busy so I’ll just see you at home.**

Tobin bows her, groaning.  Dom looks over at her, “What’s up?”

Tobin hands over her phone, “Pretty sure my mom saw me making out with Alex.”  Dom laughs and hands back the phone.  “Well that’s one way to tell her you actually started dating someone.”

Tobin goes back to her messages with Alex.

**My Queen: So you know how your parents found out cause they were at your game…**

**My Queen: I think my mom was at mine**

**My Queen: Well I know she was but I mean I think she saw you.  She said you’re cute**

Tobin turns and talks to Austin and Ryan behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this was going to be my last chapter but I feel like y'all will revolt so I'm going to write an epilogue of some sorts. not sure when i'm going to do it just yet so it will probably be more than a day or two


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. I don't even remember when the last time I posted was. Here's something to read to go along with the games. I was going to post this a few days ago but I had to thaw out from the last game.

Alex climbs onto the bus, pulling her phone out of her bag.  She sees Sydney already sitting and slides into the seat next to her.  “Have you heard from Dom?” she asks loudly to be heard over the celebration of her teammates around her.

Sydney shrugs and starts reaching into her bag to find her phone.  Abby and Megan dance by her on their way to the back of the bus.  She can’t help but laugh at their horrific attempt. “Nothing,” Sydney comments, looking up from her phone.

“Their game was over like two hours ago.”  Sydney nods in agreement.   “Do you think it’s possible they’re celebrating and that’s why they haven’t texted?”

Sydney forces a smile.  “Maybe,” she says hopefully.

Alex sends a quick text to Tobin, asking where she is, then puts her phone in her pocket and joins in on the celebration of their semifinal win.  The celebrating continues the entire thirty minute ride back.  

Abby carries Alex, bridal style, into the locker room, bouncing her giddily with each step.  Alex glances over at Tobin’s locker, her excitement immediately dissipating.  Tobin’s pads lay sideways, the jersey half on, her helmet on the floor, one cleat next to the helmet, the other in her locker, and her pants hanging awkwardly from a hook in the back.    

She scans the room as her teammates bounce and dance to the loud music.  She pats Abby’s shoulder and gets her to put down.  Alex walks to her locker, picking up her helmet and putting it in its spot.  She picks up the pads and sees Tobin’s bag behind it.  ‘ _So she’s still here._ ’  Alex looks around, still not seeing any sign of Tobin’s whereabouts.  She drops her bag in Tobin’s locker and heads for the back door.  

Alex walks out of the building, heading towards the football field.  She stops when she sees the boy’s soccer team on the field.  Alex walks back into the locker room, the music slightly turned down, and a few showers turned on.  

Alex makes her way to the showers, trying to figure out if Tobin is in one of them.  She can’t figure it out and decides to take a quick shower.  Less than ten minutes later she is dressed and brushing out her hair while Kelley bounces next to her half dressed.  Kelley loudly talks but Alex’s focus is anywhere but on Kelley.  Sydney walks over and sits down next to Alex, holding out her phone.  “They’re in the other locker room.  They lost pretty bad.”

Alex closes her eyes, taking a deep breath.  “What are they doing?”

Sydney shrugs, “Talking I guess.  He said they’re almost done.”

Alex nods, standing up.  “Well.  I’m going to go wait in the gym.  I’ll see you guys later or something.”

Alex heads out to the gym and sits down on the bleachers.  A few minutes later the boy’s locker room door opens and Tobin walks out in her socks, compression shorts and a long sleeved shirt, her hair a mess.  She keeps her eyes trained on the floor as she shuffles across.  Alex stands, her movement causing Tobin to look up.  

When she sees Alex her face falls even more and her lip starts to quiver.  Alex rushes over and pulls her into a tight hug.  “It’s okay,” she soothes, whispering into Tobin’s ear.  “I got you.”

Tobin trembles slightly in her arms.  “It’s not okay though.  We lost.”  Alex holds Tobin for a few minutes before the crying stops and Tobin stiffens, pulling back.  “Wait, how did your game go.”  Tobin’s red, watery eyes search Alex’s.

“We won,” Alex responds softly with a half smile.

Tobin’s grins and her arms tighten around Alex’s waist, lifting her onto her toes.  Alex’s smile grows.  “I’m so proud of you,” Tobin says.

Alex looks down and sees the happiness mixed with sadness.  She leans down and kisses her lips softly.  When she pulls away she reaches her hands up to Tobin’s face and wipes away the tears still wetting her cheek.

Alex leans down again for another kiss.  “You don’t have to pretend.  We can go do something to help get your mind off of it.”

Tobin shakes her head.  “No we’re celebrating.  We’re going to go to the diner and order the banana split.  After that we can do whatever you want.”

Alex cups Tobin’s cheek in her hand.  “If that’s what you want.”  Tobin nods and sets Alex back on her feet.  “Okay but you gotta shower first.”

Tobin rolls her eyes as she lets her head fall back onto Alex’s shoulder.  She takes a few deep breaths before straightening up and motioning towards the locker room.  Alex can tell Tobin forces a smile on her face the second she opens the door.

Tobin congratulates Kelley as she walks by but doesn’t partake in the witty banter that they normally do.  She quickly changes, keeping her head down as most of the soccer players continue dancing around.  Alex tries to give her a little bit of space while still being within reaching distance.  Ashlyn starts to walk over and Alex shakes her head.

Ashlyn pauses and looks at Tobin a step behind Alex, facing away.  ‘She okay?’ Ashlyn mouths.  Alex glances back at Tobin then shrugs and nods.  Ashlyn nods sadly and looks at Tobin again.  She makes a texting motion and turns towards the door.  Alex waves and turns to Tobin, reaching out to rub her back as she finishes up.

~~~

Tobin looks down the line in the stands, where some of her teammates sit, all shivering as they wait for the game to start.  “Why didn’t you guys just paint on shirts?” she asks Matt next to her as she stares at the ‘G’ painted on his chest in red.

“Where’s the fun in that?” he smirks.  “We have gloves and we’ll huddle for warmth.”

“Oh joy,” Tobin jokes.

“We told you we would give you a letter.”

“You just wanted me out of my shirt,” Tobin glares.  He shrugs but the look on his face gives him away.  “Idiot.”

“Hey, we didn’t have to come to support your girl,” he counters.

“I know.  I never asked you to come.  You invited yourself while I was talking about it with Dom.”

Matt shrugs, unable to hide the smile he turns, “Let’s practice the wave, guys.”

“Oh my God.  I don’t know you.”  Tobin slumps in her seat as Matt stands and raises his arm, starting the motion through fifteen guys.  Tobin turns her attention back to the field where the two teams are getting ready to start.  She spots Alex bouncing at the edge of the white circle to keep warm and thinks about how far they had come in the past few weeks since the start of their relationship.

News of their kiss on the field had spread pretty quickly no thanks to the many kisses they shared afterwards at the diner and a few at the party.  Alex hadn’t left Tobin’s side since the diner, holding her hand through most of it.  Marge’s shocked smile when she saw them lead to a bone crushing hug that had shocked them both.

There had been a few nasty comments but either Alex or one of their teammates had quickly shut it down and told the person off.  Each time Alex would look to Tobin and try to perk her back up by telling her something embarrassing about Kelley.  It was working so far, much to Kelley’s annoyance.

The game finally starts and Tobin leans forward in her seat, watching intently.  The boys stay rowdy next to her, more to stay warm than anything else.  The score remains tied at zero until the 40th minute.  Hope punts the ball to Carli who quickly passes it to Heather.  Heather runs up the side with ball.  She crosses it into the box where Alex collects it and uses her left foot to chip it into the top corner of the goal.  Tobin jumps to her feet along with the rest of the crowd around her cheering.  She can hear Matt yelling something next to her as she cheers for Alex.  Soon though the rest of the cheering dies down as the girls on the field head back to her spot and only the group of boys next to her are still repeatedly shouting, “Al-ex Mor-gan” in a certainly preplanned rhythm set up to embarrass Tobin.  Tobin catches the smirk on Alex’s face as she quickly glances over to them.  

The game ends with only one goal and Tobin watches as Alex celebrates with her teammates, all of them pulling on their State Champion shirts.  Alex looks over to Tobin after many pictures have been taken and plaques given out.  She jogs over and looks up, a huge smile plastered on her face.

Tobin leans over the railing as far as she can, still a couple feet above Alex.  “That was amazing.”

Alex reaches up on her toes and cups Tobin’s bicep with her gloved hand.  “Amazing enough that I can get a kiss?”

“Uh.”  Tobin looks down at Alex, biting her lip.  She straightens up and turns to Matt, “A little help?”

Matt rolls his eyes and leans over the railing, extending his hands down to Alex, reaching her easily.  Alex looks at him for a second confused then takes his hands.  He quickly pulls her up so just the railing separates Alex from the line of football players. “Thanks,” she says as she climbs over, falling into Tobin’s arms as her foot catches on the railing.

“You score the game winning goal in the state championship game but you can’t walk without tripping,” Tobin jokes.

Before Alex can answer they hear a call from the field below.  “A little help.” They look down and see Kelley standing where Alex had just been picked up.  Matt rolls his eyes again but leans over to pull Kelley up.  “Thanks, elevator man,” Kelley jokes as she hops the railing and pushes by Tobin and Alex.  Soon more players come over and Jason and Connor start helping Matt pull them up.

Tobin glances behind her to where Alex’s parents are sitting, smiling at her and possibly taking a few photos of them on their phone.  “Come on.  Your dad was almost as loud as my team.  They deserve at least a hug.”

Alex smiles and kisses Tobin quickly before leading her over to her parents.  After they each get in a few hugs their attention is brought back to the field by a loud whistle.

“Ladies. You can celebrate with everyone later.  Locker room in two minutes.  Let’s go.”  Alex groans and hugs her parents one more time.  

She turns to Tobin and squeezes her tightly.  “I’ll see you tonight right?”

Tobin nods and Alex walks back down to the railing hoping over with Matt’s help. Tobin stays to talk with Alex's parents for a few minutes before being pulled away by her teammates who have had enough of the cold.

~~~

Tobin sits on the couch in Matt’s basement eyes trained on the game of Madden being played in front of her.  Alex shifts next to her, causing the arm she has around the forward to fall.  She looks over and smiles when she finds Alex’s blue eyes looking back at her.

“I’m going to go get a drink.  You want anything?”

Tobin shakes her head.  “I’m good, but I’ll come with you.”  She stands and helps Alex up, their hands stay connected as they walk over to the bar in the corner where the food and drinks are set up.  

Alex pours a few different things into the cups then smiles at Tobin.  “It’s almost midnight,” she states. “Want to go upstairs or something?”

Tobin nods and holds her hand out.  They walk over to the stairs and before they are even three steps up Kelley calls out to them.  “Where do you two think you’re going?”

Tobin turns back around.  She points up with her free hand, “Upstairs.”

“To do what?” Kelley asks suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows for good measure.

“To get away from you,” Alex snipes.

“Getting in a little bang to bring in the new year?” Dom asks over his shoulder, his eyes focused on the television screen.

“Dom,” Sydney scoffs, walking over to him and slapping the back of his head.

Alex buries her face into Tobin’s shoulder.  “Remind me again why we thought a joint party would be a good idea?”

“It was all Kelley,” Tobin responds.  “Come on.  Let’s go outside.”

Alex follows Tobin up the stairs and out the front door after grabbing their coats.  They instinctively take a step closer to each other as the cold air bites at their exposed skin.  “Shit, it’s cold.  How much time's left?”

Tobin reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone to check the time.  “Two minutes,” she answers, showing Alex the screen.  They stop in front of her car and Tobin places her phone down on the hood.  She takes both of Alex’s hands between her own and starts rubbing them to create some heat.  Tobin then blows warm air over them and continues rubbing.   “Did I tell you, you look hot tonight?”

Alex smiles, remembering Tobin’s face when she had taken her jacket off earlier. “Only a few times.”

“Well, you look hot.”

Alex leans in and presses her lips softly against Tobin’s.  Tobin pulls back and looks at her phone again, 11:59.  “Close enough.”  She shrugs and puts her hand behind Alex’s neck and pulls her in.

Alex chuckles against Tobin’s lips, placing her hands on her girl’s hips and pulling them closer together.  They move their cold lips against each others far past the minute it takes to move into the new year.  They eventually pull apart, both with a huge smile.

“Happy New Year.”

Tobin smiles and starts to bounce on her toes. “Mmhm. Happy New Years, Lex.”

~~~

Tobin pulls into Alex’s driveway and puts her car in park.  She looks over at Alex with a smile.  “I had fun.  Thanks for coming with me.”

Alex nods, “Of course.”  Alex looks down at her chalky hands.  “I just wish you would have told me how painful it would on my hands.”

Tobin shrugs and looks down at her own hands, “You get used to.”  Alex takes Tobin’s hand and runs her fingers over the calloused palm.  She brings it up to her lips and presses a soft kiss to the center of her hand.  When she looks back up, Tobin is staring at her a soft smile spreading across her lips.  Tobin leans over the center console and presses her lips to Alex’s, her free hand rising up to Alex’s cheek.  Tobin pulls back after a few seconds, eyes fluttering open.  “I love you.”

Alex blinks back at Tobin, her hands still holding Tobin’s. “You..you…”

Tobin’s face falls for a second before she is able to hide it by looking down.  “You don’t have to say it back.”

Alex reaches up and lifts Tobin’s chin.  “Say it again.”  Tobin looks at her confused.  “Say it again,” Alex repeats.

“I...I love you,” Tobin utters softly, staring into Alex’s eyes confused.

Alex starts to lean in, whispering, “I love you too,” right before their lips meet.  Her hands both run through Tobin’s hair, gripping it in between her fingers.  Tobin leans as far over the console as she can, her hand resting on Alex’s side to balance herself.  Before they are able to go any further the garage opens, breaking them from their trance and the light starts to switch on and off.  Alex groans and pulls back slightly.  

“You should go,” Tobin tells her, “before your dad comes out here. Again.”

Alex leans in again, kissing Tobin softly and ignoring the ever flickering light.  She pulls back, watching Tobin’s lips slowly pull back and her eyes glazed over.  “I love you, Tobin.”

Tobin grins from ear to ear.  “I love you too.”

Alex opens the car door and steps out into the frigid February air.  “I’ll see you Sunday.”

Tobin nods. “Yeah but if you want to come over a little earlier before Kelley and Pinoe show up,” Tobin smirks, “my parents won’t be home.”

Alex rolls her eyes but winks before shutting the door.

~~~

Tobin runs up to Dom, who is pulling books out of his locker, tapping his shoulder repeatedly. “Dude. Dude. Dude. Dude. Dude.”

He pushes her hand away, “What?”

“I have the perfect idea for our film final.  It will take some convincing but it’s going to be amazing if we can get it done.”

“What is it? And why are we convincing him?  He said anything as long as it’s not illegal?”

“What? Oh, it’s not convincing Ryerson.  It’s convincing the soccer team.”

“Convincing them to do what?” Dom asks skeptically.

“Powder puff football.  It’d be like a mashup of epic proportions.  Okay so.  You and I will coach for each team.  We make it the Brits versus the Americans. Revolution type shit.  We could title it The Second Revolution.” Dom scoffs.  “Shut up.  It’s a working title.  Then you also have the crossover of soccer football to football football. And then, and I think this is the best part, you have a girl coach beating the boy coach.” Dom scoffs but Tobin continues.  “I’m sure I could get some guys to be the officials or something and have a few from class to film the game.  It’ll be pretty easy to get the footage, throw in a few interviews, and add a voiceover.  Basically pretend it’s a real game but with the girls soccer team.”

Dom’s face doesn’t change as Tobin talks a mile a minute.  “You’re never going to get that to happen.”

Tobin pulls out her phone, “Bet.”

“I’m not betting you but if you can get Sydney to play, I’ll be impressed.”

Tobin smirks and starts typing.

**My Queen: Hey so were you guys still looking for some end of the year team bonding thing**

Alex doesn’t respond until Tobin is sitting down at her desk two periods later.

**Lex: I think we’re going bowling**

**Lex: Why?**

**My Queen: I have a better idea.  I’ll tell you at lunch**

**Lex: Okay?  Are you sitting with me then**

**My Queen: Yeah sure w.e. See you then**

~~~

Tobin slides into the empty seat next to Alex with a huge smile on her face.

“Okay, so I have the perfect idea,” she declares to the table.

Lauren looks at her confused, “Perfect idea for what?”

“For your team bonding,” Tobin explains like it’s obvious.

They all sit silently, waiting for Tobin to say something.  After a few quiet seconds Kelley cuts in, “Well.”

“Flag football,” Tobin blurts out excitedly.

The soccer players all sit quietly, mouths parted.

“Uh,” Alex says, reaching over and placing her hand on Tobin’s leg.  “Babe, I don’t know.”

“Oh, come on,” Tobin whines.  “Dom and I will coach you guys.”  Tobin looks around at the table, her face falling.  “It will be super fun, I promise.”

“Do you want to see Alex get tackled?” Meghan asks.  “You seem super into this.”

“Well, I kinda want to film it and use it for my final.”

“The truth comes out,” Kelley smirks.  “I’ll do it if everyone else is up for it but I want to win.”

Tobin looks over at Kelley, “Uh, sorry Kel.  My team is already kinda full.”

Kelley looks at her confused, “You already chose teams?”

A smirk stretches across Tobin’s face, “Not yet, but I want to win too and that means I need to pick a winning team.”

The rest of the table laughs and Kelley throws her water bottle at Tobin’s head.  Tobin ducks and it rolls across the floor.

“Babe,” Alex says, leaning into her, “be nice.”

“Yeah, _babe_ , be nice to me or I’ll saran wrap your car again.”

“That didn’t work out for you so well last time,” Tobin sasses back.

Meghan starts laughing, “Yeah, your teeth were blue for like a week.”

Tobin shrugs and Kelley flips her off.  “Alright.  I’m on Dom’s team.”  Kelley pushes her chair back and stands up.  “I’m going to go talk strategy with _my_ coach.”  Kelley stalks over towards Dom with her stuff and sits down.  

“She does know that she’s the only one who’s agreed to this so far, right?” Sydney asks.

Tobin looks over at her.  “You’re not going to do it?  Dom’s grade is riding on this too.”

Sydney groans,  “What position requires the least amount of effort?”

“Uh...if you think you can hold people off I would say center or someone on the line so you’re just stopping the other team from getting the qb.  If you want something with a little more you could be the one trying to tackle them.”

“I was thinking more like kicker,” Sydney jokes.  “That seems pretty easy.”

“Okay, you’re no longer on my draft list.  Dom can have you.”

Sydney flips her off and Alex lightly slaps at her.  “I’ll ask them babe.  Just don’t hold your breath.”

~~~

A few days after Tobin pitched her idea, Alex skips over to Tobin in the locker room.  Alex smiles as Tobin pulls on an old football tshirt.  “They said yes.”

Tobin looks at her confused for a second before a smile overtakes her face.  “They said yes?” she exclaims. Alex nods and Tobin takes a few steps forward and picks Alex up around her waist, spinning in circles.  

“Tobs, put me down.”  Tobin spins once more before putting her down.

“Want to come tell the guys with me.  They’re super excited.”

“Already?”

“Well I had to see if I could find a few to ref it and I did,” Tobin smiles as she grabs her water bottle and then Alex’s hand.  “Come on.  You gotta tell them.”

Tobin leads her up to the weight room where most of the football team is waiting.  “’ey captain,” a few call out, echoed by a ton of other in the room.

Tobin rolls her eyes and drops her water next to one of the benches.  “Are you guys seriously going to do that every time?”

Dom walks in behind her, putting one arm around Tobin’s shoulder and the other around Alex’s.  “Yeah that’s not changing bud, especially if you’re going to bring cute girls to practice.”

“Oh, she’s joining the team, going for your spot actually.”  Tobin leans around him towards Alex. “I think you got it babe, you’re faster.”

Alex smiles.  “I know.”

“Wow,” Dom says dejected. “Rude.”

“Sorry bro.”

Dom turns to Alex.  “What’s actually going on?”

“The team agreed to your football game.”

Dom grins and quickly turns to Tobin, “Dibs on Kling.”

Tobin starts laughing. “Not how that works and why?”

“She’s small and feisty,” Dom responds like it’s obvious.

~~~

“THROW IT,” Tobin yells as Julie rushes towards Ashlyn.  Ashlyn looks around at the field as she runs away from Julie.  Ashlyn throws the ball just as Julie reaches her.  It hits the grass a few seconds later and the whistle blows.  Tobin sighs as she walks out onto the field with her clipboard and her team gathers around her.

“Ash,” she says as they get into the huddle, “you need to throw the ball sooner.  Moe was open.”  Tobin looks around the field, spotting Matt.  “Yo how much time is left?”

Matt looks down at his watch.  “Half a minute,” he smiles.  “And Dom is up by six in case you forgot.”

Tobin flips him off as she starts to grumble and looks down at her clipboard to find their next play. The whistle behind her blows and she turns to see him throwing a yellow flag she didn’t know he had into the air.  “Unsportsmanlike conduct.  Offense. Fifteen yards.”

Tobin turns fully and spreads her arms out him.  She can hear Dom laughing from a few yards away as she walks towards Matt.  “What are you doing?  This is flag football.”

Matt smirks at her as he picks up the flag.  “Fifteen yards,” he blows his whistle quickly a few times and points down the field.  “Don’t make me give you five more for delay of game.”

“What are you even talking about?  There’s no play clock,” Tobin argues stepping closer.

“Babe,” Alex calls from where their team still stands.  

Tobin turns her head, “Hold on.  He’s doing this just to bug me.”  She turns back to see Matt grabbing the ball to move it back.  “Matt what the fuck?  How much did Dom pay you?”

Matt blows his whistle again and turns to Tobin.  “How dare you?”  He reaches into his pocket to get the flag again.  Tobin throws her clipboard down as the flag goes down and starts to make her way over to him.  Only a step away and she feels a strong arm grab her shoulder and hold her back.  

“Tobin,” Ashlyn warns, “chill out.  We need a coach and I’m pretty sure he’s about to throw you out.”  Matt smiles and nods.

Tobin glares at him but turns to pick up her clipboard.  She stalks back over to the huddle looking at her clipboard.  “Okay, so we’re going to run the ball.”   She points to the play, “Ash you’re going to do the handoff that we practiced with Christen.”  She looks up for a second and then back down at the play she drew up.  She looks back up when she realizes that all the eyes were looking at her instead of the the play.  Her eyes settle on Alex’s, which are full of concern.

“I’m sorry about that.  He just likes to piss me off sometimes, I’m sorry you have to put up with it too.”  She takes a deep breath and looks to Christen.  “I need you to run as fast as possible.”  She points at the paper, her finger following the path of an x.  “You’re going to go out wide.”  She glances up at Alex, “Once Christen gets to you start running with her and try to block them from getting to her.”  She then looks at Morgan.  “I want you to start off behind Alex but when the play starts run towards Christen.”  She follows the play with her finger.  “When you get to Christen I want you guys to try and make it look like you handed it off again.  So Moe, hold your arms like you’re carrying the ball.”

“Let’s go Tobs,” Dom calls from behind them.  “Brits are gonna win it this time.”

Tobin’s jaw clenches and she puts her hand in the middle.  “We got this.”

They all put their hand on top of hers, “Yankees on three.  One, two, three.”

“YANKEES,” they all shout.  Tobin jogs off the field to the other players on her team as they players get lined up.

The play starts and Ashlyn hands the ball to Christen.  The play continues and Tobin shouts instructions to Christen and Alex across the field.  Ali reaches them easily and pulls Christen’s flag out as she passes over half field.

She jogs back onto the field, looking at her clipboard for their next play.  “Okay Ash, you think you got a perfect spiral in ya?”  Ashlyn nods.  “Okay.”

Tobin jogs back off the field after explaining the play, patting Jason’s stomach as she passes.  

She nervously taps the clipboard against her leg as Ashlyn steps back with the ball.  Tobin watches her turn and immediately throw it to Alex along the sideline.   Alex catches it perfectly and turns up field.  “Run,” Tobin yells, even though Alex is already running.  Tobin runs along the sideline as Alex sprints towards the end zone.  “Go, go, go, GO. YES. GO. NICE BLOCK MOE.”  Alex is ten yards from the end zone with no one near her.  “RUN.”

Alex crosses the line, hands up and rounding the pile on as the whistle blows.  She drops the football and jumps into Tobin’s waiting arms.  Her legs wrap around Tobin’s waist and hugs her tightly.  The rest of the team joins in the hug.  After a minute of celebrating the whistle blows again and Tobin sees a flag being thrown.  She drops Alex to her feet and stalks over to Matt.  “What are you calling now?”

Matt shrugs, “Where do I start?  Sideline infraction for one.” He starts counting on his fingers.  “Illegal use of the hands.  Illegal con-”

“Where was the illegal use of hands?”

Matt gives her a look before rolling his eyes.  “You had your hands all over her.  I was worried you guys were going to forget there were other people.”

Alex smiles as she walks up behind Tobin and wraps her arms around her girlfriend’s waist.  “My touchdown still counts though, right?”

Tobin relaxes into Alex’s hold.  Staring straight into Matt’s eyes, “Yeah. It counts.  Game’s over.”

Alex drops her arms and steps to the side to look at Tobin better.  “But we’re tied.”

Tobin nods.  “That’s how we’ll end it.  I’ll figure out something for the project.”

Alex takes Tobin’s hand and looks to Matt.  He looks between them a few times, shrugs, then blows his whistle to end the game.

~~~

Alex leans against the fence after her practice watching Tobin stretch out her legs.  She taps her foot impatiently as she waits for football practice to end in the sweltering summer heat.  When it finally ends ten minutes later Alex pushes through the gate and walks over to where Tobin is talking to a few teammates. Tobin feels a pat on her butt, which she has made clear is not okay unless they're in pads.  She’s about to yell at Dom when she sees him a few feet in front of her.  

Tobin turns to find Alex and leans in for a quick kiss.  When they break apart Alex takes her hand and leads her away so they can talk in private.  “You have some explaining to do,” Alex tells her as they walk to the bench.

Tobin slaps hands with a few of her teammates that pass before turning fully to Alex.  “What’s up?”

“You’re getting recruited” Alex says, a hint of hurt in her voice.

Tobin’s face falls slightly.  “You found out?”

Alex nods, crossing her arms, raising an eyebrow, and pursing her lips.  “Kinda wish it was you who told me.”

Tobin nods, solemnly.  “I didn’t think it was important.”

“How is that not important?”

“Babe, why would they want me?  It just going to be some publicity thing.” Tobin’s leans down and starts to untie her cleats.

“Tobs, you don’t know that,” Alex tries, reaching out and putting her hand on Tobin’s leg.

“Why else would they have called?”

“Um,” Alex draws out, “because you’re good.”  She bends down so she can look into Tobin’s eyes.  “You’re better than the guys on the teams you play.  Why can’t you see that?”

“I see it.  It’s just impossible for others to see it.  They see a girl and think I’m going to get hurt or something.”

“How do you know that’s what they think if you don’t talk to them?”

“Because I do.”

Alex laughs, “So you’ll call the coach? Or email?  How does it work for football?”

“I’d call the coach.  Then we’d probably set up an official visit for me to see the school and meet the team.”  Tobin shrugs.  “I don’t know. I kinda zoned out.”

Alex smiles.  “Of course you did.  Why did I expect any less?”

Tobin looks at her sheepishly.  “So I guess I have to call them?”

Alex nods and leans over to kiss her cheek.  “You’d look pretty good in that North Carolina blue.”

~~~

**My Queen: Thank you**

**Lex: For what?**

**My Queen: For making me do this.  I’ve only been here two hours and the team is already super chill with me**

**Lex: That’s amazing**

**My Queen: Yeah and I was talking to the coaches and they were talking about how they would want want to use me so like they have a plan for me already. They'll want me to play**

**Lex: What’s their plan???**

**My Queen: They would want me to do field goals and extra points which kinda sucks because they don’t want me to be on the field where I would need to tackle anyone.  I think I can make a case for kickoffs since it’s basically the same thing. I just need to show them I can tackle**

**My Queen: I wouldn’t be a starter until my soph year though because their starters a junior right now**

**Lex: I won’t be upset that you won’t be getting tackled but I know you want to be on the field**

**My Queen: Also I’m not their first choice they had a kicker lined up but he decommitted so they kinda want me to verbally commit before I leave while they work on getting my official offer put together.  It’s apparently a little bit harder since I’m a girl but the money is for a guys sport.  Idk but they said they were serious about me**

**Lex: That’s still super amazing babe.  I’m so proud of you.  Do you like the school?**

**My Queen: I haven’t really seen the school yet.  I’m going to go to dinner with the guys then meet up with whoever is hosting me.  She’s supposed to show me around a bit**

**Lex: Is there another athlete hosting you?**

**My Queen: Yeah. She’s on the basketball team**

**Lex: Of course she’s super tall**

**My Queen: What**

**My Queen: What does that have to do with anything?**

**Lex: Nothing**

**My Queen: Babe…**

**Lex: I just remember the last time you went on one of these trips**

**My Queen: And?**

**Lex: And you and Courtney got pretty close**

**My Queen: We did?**

**My Queen: You remember her name**

**My Queen: OMG babe were you jealous?**

**Lex: Leave me alone.  She was all over you. Tall, pretty, and blonde.  It wasn’t my fault**

**My Queen: You’re cute**

It takes Alex a few minutes to respond and Tobin looks around the dining hall where she is eating with the team.

**Lex: Do you still talk to her?**

**My Queen: What? No. Why do you think that**

**Lex: I saw that you’re still friends with her on fb**

**My Queen: Baby come on.  I haven’t been on fb in months. You know that**

**My Queen: I have to go now but I’ll text you tonight**

**My Queen: And stop worrying about her or anyone else.  It’s only you**

**Lex: Okay :)**

**My Queen: I love you**

**Lex: I love you too**

~~~

“What does that even mean?” Tobin groans exasperated, tossing her bag into the back seat of her car.

“It means that I don’t want you to go just because I want to,” Alex explains again, her voice rising.

“But I’ll go for you.”

“I heard you talking to Dom.  You said you didn’t want to go prom.” Alex holds up a finger.  “Actually you said it’s the last place on earth you want to be so why are we going?”

“Because you want to go,” Tobin groans.

“So you’ll blame me for making you go?”

“What? No.” Tobin runs her fingers through her hair.  “Do I want to go to prom? No, but you do so I kinda need to go too. It's only seniors.”

“Don’t bother.” Alex turns on her heel and walks back towards the school.

“Alex,” Tobin calls after her but it doesn’t slow her down.  Tobin quickly jogs after her, reaching out for her shoulder when she catches up.  “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know,” Alex responds.

“Why are you so upset over this?” Tobin asks but instantly regrets it when Alex’s eyes flare up again.

“It’s not just this Tobin.  It’s everything.  You don’t talk to me anymore.  Whenever we go out we just end up getting pizza and making out in your backseat.”

“That’s not my fault,” Tobin argues back.  “I suggest so many different things and you shoot them all down.”

“Maybe because I want you to take me somewhere nice for once instead of the mall or a rock gym.”

“Why do I have to do everything?  Why is this all on me?”

“It’s not-” Alex starts.

Tobin cuts her off, “It sure seems like it.  Also what do you mean I don’t talk to you?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking about anymore.  We fight a lot.  You don’t talk to me about anything important.  Ever since you signed with UNC all you can talk about is the school, the team, football.... Tobin, I know more about the teams you’re going to play next year than I do about you right now.”

“I thought you wanted to know.  It WAS your top choice last time I checked.  I’ll stop talking about it if that’s what you want,” Tobin nearly shouts back.

“You just can’t wait to leave,” Alex counters at nearly the same volume.  “You already have one foot out the door.”

“What door?”

Alex lowers her voice, “Here.  Us.  I don’t know.”  Alex looks into Tobin’s eyes, the light brown replaced by a much darker hue.  “I don’t think this is working anymore.”

Tobin’s face freezes.  After a few slow breaths she calmly asks, “You want to break up?”

Alex sticks her hands into the front pocket of the football sweatshirt Tobin had given her over a year ago.  Her eyes start to water as she replies, “I don’t know.”

“Well do you want to be with me?” Tobin asks coldly.

Alex hesitates, but finally says, “I don’t know anymore.”

“Well I guess that’s it then,” Tobin snaps, her face hard.  “We're done. I’ll see you around.”  She turns swiftly on her heel and walks quickly back to her car.  She tries to hold the tears in until she is in her car but fails two steps into her walk.  She lets them run down her cheeks and pushes onward until she is in the safety of her car.  She turns her keys in the ignition and throws the car into drive, not looking in Alex’s direction at all for fear of losing it even more than she already has.  She is halfway to Dom’s when she remembers that Sydney was with him and quickly changes course.  

Immediately after walking into her house she heads upstairs to her bedroom.  She doesn’t bother turning the light on as she shuts the door behind her and flops face first onto her bed.  She kicks her shoes off and curls into a ball, rocking gently with tears wetting her pillow as she thinks about the last fifteen months, two weeks, and three days that she had been in a relationship with Alex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you hate me?


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i would like to somewhat apologize for the last chapter. I posted that before the game and even though I suspected the loss I didn't expect it to be that bad so hopefully you guys weren't too upset. On a much happier note though (not that i think any of you will care) the Texans are getting rid of Brock.  
> Hopefully this chapter somewhat makes up for the last one.

Tobin walks into school, not even bothering to go to her locker and heading straight for her English class.  She sits down and puts her head on her arms, wishing she could just get through the rest of the day and then she could continue sulking over the weekend.  

She writes her name at the top of the blank sheet of paper but doesn’t even attempt to answer the questions asked about the reading she was supposed to do the night before.  She spends the rest of class looking across the room at Amy and Christen who seem to be ignoring her.  

Tobin is standing before the bell even rings and rushes out the door.  She makes a quick stop at her locker to drop some books off before heading to Astronomy.  Dom is waiting for her by the door, stopping her before she can walk in.

“Dude?” he asks softly.  “What happened?”

Tobin takes a deep breath, thinking through her preplanned explanation.  “We broke up.  She didn’t want to be with me anymore so I didn’t see a reason to keep dating.”

Dom looks her over, then motions into the room.  “Come on.  Let’s go.”  They sit down next to each other and Dom looks at her.  “Where’s your phone?  I’ve been texting you.”

“My car.  I left it in there last night and it died,” Tobin explains, her cheek resting against her arm.

“Well it’s good to know that you’re not dead,” Dom tries to joke but looking over Tobin’s features she couldn’t look much worse.

Tobin falls asleep five minutes into class and Dom quickly slides out his phone into his lap.

**Dom <3: It’s bad.  I don’t know how to fix this**

**Sydney: Yeah Amy said she looked like shit in class and I don’t think Alex is doing much better**

**Dom <3: At least they don’t have any classes together**

**Sydney: Do you think we could postpone our date tonight**

**Dom <3: Yeah. Not sure I’ll get anywhere with her tonight though but you should try**

**Sydney: Do you think it’s saveable? Like should we try to get them back together or was that the end**

**Dom <3: I don’t know.  She’s really upset.  If what Alex told you is true then I can’t see this working out when she leaves for UNC.  If they decide on their own they want to get back together than they can but it might just be better to let it go**

**Sydney: That’s what I figured**

~~~

Tobin walks into the gym locker room and quickly starts changing, thankful that she has weightlifting this quarter.  She is tying her shoes when she feels eyes on her.  She looks up to find Kelley a few feet away glaring down at her.

“That was a real shit thing for you to do.”

Tobin finishes tying her shoe and stands up.  “I didn’t do anything she wasn’t asking for.  She’s the one that wanted to break up.  I did it for her. Now she can stop worrying about me cheating on her with someone at school.”  She turns and walks out the door as quickly as possible.

~~~

Alex sits through lunch, barely eating and unable to keep her focus on whatever conversation her friends are trying to make to distract her.  She hasn’t seen Tobin yet which is making it even harder for her to focus.  She glances around the cafeteria, knowing she’s not there but still hoping.

Kelley reaches her hand out and places it on her forearm to get her attention.  “She’s not here, Al.”

“I know,” Alex says so softly that Kelley could barely hear her.  “I normally would have seen her by now.  Maybe she skipped.”

Kelley shakes her head, “She’s here. I just saw her in gym.”

“How is she?” Alex quickly asks.

“You can’t do this to yourself, Al,” Sydney says from her other side.  “You need to move forward.”

“But I don’t want to,” Alex nearly whispers, tears starting to fall onto the table.

Sydney stands up and pulls Alex with her.  “Come on, let’s go to the bathroom.” Kelley stands up too and sadly glances around at Morgan, Julie, and Christen before following after them.

~~~

Alex is standing with Sydney and Dom when she hears the voice she could pick out anywhere call out for Dom.  It has been five days since she had heard her voice or even seen her face.  Dom quickly walks towards Tobin as Alex turns to follow him with her eyes.  She can’t see much through the crowd of students that are weaving around them, trying to leave for the day.  

Sydney tugs on Alex’s arm, “Come on, Alex.  Time to go home.”

Alex barely notices her and continues trying to get her first look at Tobin since their break up.  There is a part in the mass of students and Alex catches Tobin, eyes pink and slightly puffy.  She stares long enough for Tobin to feel eyes on her and look from Dom’s face, over his shoulder.  She stops talking mid word and quickly looks back at Dom and says something else.  Three seconds later, she has turned around and disappeared again.

Dom glances over his shoulder at Alex and Sydney, his shoulders slumping when he sees them both staring back.  He quickly turns and starts to chase after Tobin.

~~~

Tobin sits back on the cold bleachers and watches the teams below switch sides after the third out.  She puts all of her focus into the game and is getting really into it.  When it is Dom’s turn up to bat she hears cheering for him that can only be coming from one person.  She turns, and sure enough Sydney is leaning against the fence clapping as Dom walks up to the plate.  Standing next to Sydney is Alex along with a few other teammates.  Tobin quickly turns back to the field and pulls the hood of her sweatshirt up over her head.

Dom strikes out and the teams switch sides again.  Tobin glances over at Alex and Sydney wishing more than anything that they would leave but not at the same time because she hadn’t been near her in a month.  She painfully watches Alex joke around with her teammates for the next few innings.

~~~

Julie walks around Alex and leans against the fence next to Sydney, whispering, “Syd?”

Sydney looks away from the field to the blonde. “What’s up?”

Julie checks to make sure Alex isn’t paying attention. When she confirms that Alex is in a deep conversation with Morgan and Christen she leans in slightly.  “Isn’t that Tobin in the bleachers?”

“What?” Sydney asks immediately looking towards the four rows of bleachers beyond the dugout. She notices the gray football sweatshirt and immediately her shoulders sink.  She looks at Julie.  “Shit, you’re right.”  She turns quickly to Alex who is still talking then back to Julie.  “Doesn’t seem like they’ve noticed each other.”

“She keeps looking over here.  Pretty sure she knows.”

Sydney glances back over at Tobin who is leaning forward, elbows on her raised knees and face in her hands.  “As long as we keep them separated we should be fine.”

Julie nods and glances towards the field.  “Have they talked?”

Sydney shakes her head.  “Not that I know of.  They’re both still pretty upset.”

“But if they’re both still upset doesn’t that mean it was a mistake.  It was a month ago.”

“Neither of them have said anything about getting back together and she’s going to college soon.”

~~~

Tobin stands in line in front of Dom, laughing at Sydney.  “It’s called _Senior Ditch Day_.”

Sydney scoffs, “They took my money at the gate.  They didn’t seem to have a problem with it.”

Tobin rolls her eyes at Dom and turns back around as the the next log comes into the station.  She kicks off her flip flops and puts them in the cubby along with her drawstring before climbing into the front.  

Tobin turns around to Dom and Sydney as they start their ride.  “No funny business okay.”  They both nod but as soon as Tobin turns back towards the front she feels a splash of water hit her cheek.  Tobin doesn’t even bother turning around, just flipping them off instead.

When the ride is done they gather their things and head for the exit.  Tobin is almost out of the gate when she realizes she forgot her shoes.  “Hold on.  I’ll be right back.”  She quickly turns and bounds back up the ramp.

With her shoes on her feet she walks out of the ride’s exit, looking around for Dom, Sydney, and their other friends.  She sees them all sitting around a table to her left and heads over.  Halfway there she notices Alex and one of Dom’s baseball teammates sitting with them.  She takes a deep breath and heads over.  She doesn’t glance in Alex’s direction as she slides into the seat next to Dom, turning away from their conversation to one with her own teammates.  She can feel eyes on her after a few minutes and uses all her willpower not to turn.  

Tobin convinces her half of the table to go on the log ride again and quickly stands up.  As she turns she catches Alex’s eyes and freezes.  They stare at eachother for a few seconds until Tobin hears her name called and jogs to catch up.  

An hour later, Tobin sees Dom standing in line for pizza and jogs over to him.  “Hey bro.”

“Hey, Tobs.”

Tobin looks up at the board, trying to figure out what she wants.  “So,” she starts, still looking up, “what’s Alex doing here?”

Dom checks Tobin’s face, not able to read her expression he answers, “She went to prom with Jesse so I assume she’s staying at the beach house with his friends.”

Tobin doesn’t respond and soon it is their turn to order.  After they pay and are waiting for their slices Tobin pretends to be extremely interested in the string holding her shorts up.  “Are they dating?”

Dom can hear the sadness in Tobin’s voice and quickly answers her.  “I don’t think so.  He just broke up with his girlfriend so he had an extra ticket.  Also I think they’re friends.”  Tobin nods and looks up over the counter, trying to figure out where her pizza is.  They are soon handed their slices but Dom stops Tobin from turning.  “You can come sit with us if you want but Alex is there.”

“Okay,” Tobin nods, preparing herself.  “Do you think you could ditch her for a bit after and come ride some roller coasters?”

Dom smiles, “Of course bud but maybe after I’ve digested some of this food.”

The two walk over to the table and sit down.  Sydney eyes Tobin but continues her long winded explanation of getting her class out of a final.  Tobin looks up and immediately sees Alex staring back at her.  “Hey,” she says softly.

“Hi,” Alex mouths back with a small smile.  Tobin forces a smile then refocuses her attention on her pizza for a few bites before turning to Dom.

When they finish eating Tobin stands up to throw out her garbage with Alex following after her.  “Can we talk?”

Tobin sets her tray on the pile and turns around slowly.  “Why?”

Alex is taken back by the question and it takes her a minute to formulate an answer.  “Because I miss talking to you.”

“I thought I was bad at talking,” Tobin snaps.  “Isn’t that why you wanted to break up?”

“I-”

“Not now, Alex.  This is supposed to be a fun day which you’ve pretty much already ruined just by showing up.”  Tobin walks around the stunned girl to pick up her bag from the table.  After saying a few whispered things to Dom she walks down the path towards where some of the roller coasters are.  Dom quickly grabs his stuff, shoves the rest of his pizza in his mouth, says something unintelligible to Sydney, and chases after his friend.  Sydney holds her hand out, stopping Jesse from getting up and walks over to Alex.

“Alex,” Sydney says softly, trying to break her from her trance where she still looks towards where Tobin disappeared.  

“I...I was trying to tell her I was sorry.”

“Maybe today wasn’t the best timing,” Sydney offers.

“Today is the first time we’ve talked in months.” Alex looks at Sydney.  “I miss her.”

“You miss her like you want to get back together or just that you miss talking to her?”

Alex’s face falls, “Both.”

“She’s leaving for college in what...a month or two,” Sydney says.

“So?  I can do long distance if it means I would at least get to talk to her.”

Sydney glances behind her to where Tobin and Dom had disappeared to.  “What did she say?”

“I asked if we could talk and she brought up our fight where I said she didn’t talk anymore.”  Alex rubs her arms.  “She said she didn’t want to talk today anyways.”

“So that means you can try again another day. Are you going to try?” Sydney asks.

“I don’t know.  It doesn’t seem like she wants me too.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”  Alex pouts for a few seconds then looks up at Sydney hopeful, “Can you have Dom talk to her?”

Sydney purses her lips.  “I don’t know.  He already told me he’s on her side of the break up.”

“Why are there sides?”

“Because you two were fighting, broke up, and haven’t spoken since.”  Sydney looks over at the table where Jesse still sits.  “She’s been hurting too.  I don’t know if you noticed but she doesn’t go to parties anymore because you’re there.  She was friends with a lot of people on our team and they don’t talk to her anymore.”

“I didn't tell them to do that,” Alex argues. "That’s not my fault."

Sydney holds up her hands.  “I’m not saying it is.  I’m on your side.  I’m just trying to show you that she wasn’t happy about the break up either.  Now that could be good, meaning she wants to get back together or it could be really bad seeing as it’s been this long and she’s been building up some hate.”

Alex bites her lip, whining, “Syd.”

“Sorry.”

~~~

Alex walks up behind Tobin, who is digging through her locker, getting ready to go home.  “Tobin,” she says to get her attention.

Tobin freezes for a second.  She stands up and closes her locker before turning around.  Her face is locked as she stares up into Alex’s eyes. Alex can't decipher the look in the eyes she used to trust with everything.

“Can we talk?”

Tobin juts out her jaw in a way that Alex knows she’s seriously considering both options.  “Sure,” she shrugs after a few long moments.

“Do you want to go down to the field?”

“Sure,” Tobin repeats, her voice devoid of emotion.  Alex looks into Tobin’s eyes for a second before turning around and heading in the direction of the back door.  She glances back every few steps to make sure Tobin is behind her.  She has to stop twice when Tobin runs into a few friends but she does make it quick each time which Alex is happy for.

Alex holds open the door for her and paces herself so they are walking next to each other.  When they get to the bleachers Alex stops to let Tobin go first but Tobin keeps walking towards the gate.  “Tobin, they have practice,” Alex states, pointing towards the track and field team that are all around.

Tobin ignores her and walks across the track after a group of runners jog by.  She then walks to the center of the empty field and looks to Alex who is still standing at the gate.  Alex rolls her eyes and waits for a group of sprinters to go by before she jogs out to Tobin.  She sits down across from Tobin and watches her push the hair out of her face.  

Tobin looks to Alex, “Well?”

Alex fidgets with her hands to gather herself.  “I miss you.”  Tobin sits quietly, not sure how to respond.  Alex decides to try a different approach.  “I was wrong, Tobin, and I’m sorry.”

Tobin pushes more hair out of her face. “Uh….”

“I’m sorry for everything.”

“What’s that supposed mean?”

“It means I miss you and I don’t want to be fighting with you anymore.”

“We haven’t been fighting.  I actually think we’ve been not communicating quite well.  Better than ever.”

“Are you just going to be rude the whole time? Cause I’m actually trying to be nice here.”

Tobin throws her arms in the air.  “Oh I’m the one who’s being rude.  You have Kelley chew me out multiple times.  Ashlyn doesn’t talk to me anymore.  I can’t go to my best friend’s fucking games without you being there to ruin it. Though I guess that all makes sense now.  What was I anyways? An experiment, cause I thought you told me that you weren’t into guys anymore.”

Alex leans in, growling, “I never told Kelley or Ashlyn to do that.  I’m not doing anything with Jesse and I went to the games with Syd.  If you didn’t want me there you could have told me.”

“Oh yeah,” Tobin says sarcastically, “Just slip that into one of the many conversations that we were having.”

“What is wrong with you?  What happened to the person that I fell in love with?”

“She got her heart broken,” Tobin grabs her backpack and stands up.  “I’m graduating in five days and if you ever loved me-”

“No,” Alex snaps.  “Sit down and let me talk.”

Tobin crosses her arms and looks down at Alex, not sitting but also not leaving.

“Fine,” Alex huffs as she pushes herself up so she’s only a few inches away from Tobin.  “I did love you so don’t you ever say differently.  I still do.  Or at least I thought I did but if this is who you are now I’m not so sure anymore.  I was trying to apologize for everything and say that I wanted you back but I guess that was a huge fucking mistake.”

Tobin’s face softens as Alex talks but she isn’t sure how to respond.  “Uh…”

“Great, Tobin,” Alex mutters as she leans down to grab her bag and wipe her arm across her face.  “Good luck at UNC next year,” she says as she stands up and walks slowly off the field.  She glances back over at Tobin as she passes through the gate and sees the older girl laying on the field with her beat up foam football in her hands.  Tears start freely falling from Alex’s face as she slowly walks back up to the school then beyond to the junior lot, purposely walking over the spot where she and Tobin fought back in February.  When she finally reaches her car she puts her forearms on the steering wheel and rests her head on her arms, crying into them.  

A few minutes later, Alex jumps, startled by a thud then a knock on her window.  She looks over and sees Tobin leaning against her car looking in through the window out of breath.  Alex puts her window down while wiping her cheeks.  She can hear Tobin trying to get air into her lungs.

“You...want… to g-...to get...back to...gether?” she pants.

“I’m not sure anymore,” Alex replies.  

The slight smile on Tobin’s melts away.  “Why?” she breaths confused.

“You’re being a bitch,” Alex snaps.  She almost instantly regrets it and the look of pure hurt in Tobin’s eyes makes her regret it a second time.

“Oh.  Okay.”  Tobin wipes her forehead with the sleeve of her t-shirt.  “Sorry.”  Tobin turns to head back to her car.

“Wait,” Alex calls, turning Tobin back around.  Behind the slightly hurt look Alex can see the soft features of Tobin’s face, ones she hasn’t seen since their break up.  Alex turns off her car.  “Was that it?”

“I guess,” Tobin shrugs.  She loops her thumbs through the straps of her backpack and starts rocking back and forth.

Alex gets out, shutting the door behind her.  Tobin watches, unsure what to do.  Alex leans back against her car, leaving a few feet of space between them.

“You sprinted over here for something.”

“Exercise,” Tobin counters with a smirk making Alex laugh.

“Do you want to try again?” Alex questions once it’s silent.

“I’m leaving in like a month for camp and I don’t know when I’ll be back.” Tobin looks down at her feet.

“I know, but you could tell me all about UNC,” Alex hints.

Tobin looks at her confused.  “I thought you didn’t like me talking about it so much?”

“I didn’t when it was here’s what I’m leaving you for,” Alex tries again.

“So ‘here’s what I left you for’ would be better?” Tobin asks.

Alex smiles, “No, it would be more like here’s what you have to look forward to.”  Tobin stares at Alex, not fully grasping it.  “I verbally committed two months ago.”

“You what?”

“I told Anson I wanted to be a tarheel.  With or without you it was the school I wanted to be at and it’s big enough that I probably wouldn’t have to see you if I didn’t want to.”

“You’re going to UNC?”

Alex laughs.  “Keep up.”

“Congrats, I guess.”

Alex smiles, “Thanks, but can we get back to the other part.”

Tobin nods.  “That’s still a year apart.”

“You’ll come home for winter break at some point.  I could come see you during my spring break.  We could make it work.  We just need to put the effort in.”

“Do you want to put the effort in?”

“If you do.”

Tobin chews on her lip while Alex waits.  “Can I think about it?” she asks after a while.

Alex’s shoulders slump but she tries to keep the smile on her face.  “Sure.”

“Do you think we could be friends while I do?”

Alex’s smile brightens, “Of course.”

“Cool.”  Tobin smiles.  

Alex nods.  “So are you going to the party tonight?”

Tobin shrugs.  “I don’t even know where it is.  They kinda stopped asking me to come.”

“Do you want to go together?...as friends.”

Tobin mulls it over quickly, “Sure. I’ll pick you up at 9:30?”  Alex nods.  “Cool.”  Tobin turns, throwing up a peace sign over her shoulder and walking towards the senior parking lot and her car.

~~~

“Holy shit, Alex.  You look great,” Sydney cried through the phone, “stop sending me snaps of every different curl you’re putting in.”

“I’m not,” Alex argues.

“We already know she thinks you’re hot.  Just be cool and it should all be fine.”

Alex smiles when she hears a car pull into her driveway.  “She’s here.  I’ll see you in a bit, Syd.”  Before Sydney can even respond Alex hangs up the phone and dashes downstairs.  “Bye guys.  I love you.  I’ll be back in a few hours,” and with that she is out the door.

Tobin stops mid step around her car.  “Uh.  I was gonna come up.”

“It’s fine.  I didn’t actually tell my parents yet cause they’d make a big deal about it and I wanted us to figure everything out first.”

Tobin nods and moves back to her door, getting in.  Alex directs Tobin towards the party, which is just getting started.  “Want to sit for a little while and talk?” Tobin asks.

Alex shrugs, “Yeah.”

Tobin plays with the ring on her finger, looking over at Alex.  “So how would it work? Us getting back together.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well it’s not like we can pretend we never dated before but it’s also going to be different and we won’t even be in the same state for much longer.”

Alex starts to reach for Tobin’s hand but stops herself.  “We just do what feels right and we talk about it.”  Alex looks down at Tobin’s fidgeting hands.  “It would be hard but I think it could work if we both put in the time and effort.”

“So like how would it start?” Tobin questions nervously.  

Alex shrugs, “I don’t know.”

“Well,” Tobin bites her lip.  “Can we figure that out?”

“Um…” Alex grinds her teeth, “I really don’t know.”

“Do you want to get back together?” Tobin asks, trying to make out the younger girls expression in the dimly lit car.

Alex nods, “If you do.”

Tobin nods back and looks out towards the house.  “So.” She turns back and faces Alex.  “Would you still want to be friends if I didn’t?”

Alex nods again.  “I still missed you.  It would just take me a bit of time to get used to.”

“Even if I started dated again?” Tobin asks seriously.

Alex’s eyes widen and she turns her head to look down at her legs.  “That would be hard and would take me some time to get used to but yeah.  Whatever makes you happy.”

Tobin smiles and leans over, resting her elbow on the center console.  She reaches out with her other hand and places it on Alex’s cheek turning her attention back.  Tobin leans in, pressing her lips against Alex’s.  She pulls back after a second, opening her eyes and finding Alex staring right back at her, shocked.

Tobin laughs, pulling back and dropping her hand.  “You okay?”

“You kissed me.”

“Yeah.  Is that okay?”

“Is that okay,” she repeats.  “You haven’t done that in months.”

“We weren’t dating,” Tobin smugly replies.

Alex looks at her confused and Tobin lets her process.  She watches Alex’s eyes light up.  “So does that mean now we are?”

“It does if you want it to.”

Alex quickly reaches over, her hand going between Tobin’s legs and under the seat.  She finds the metal bar she is looking for and pulls up, causing Tobin’s seat to slide back as far as it can go.  She then swiftly maneuvers herself out of her seat and onto Tobin’s lap, straddling her.  She reconnects their lips for a second before pulling back and bending down, easily finding the lever that sends the back of Tobin’s chair down flat and Tobin along with it.  Tobin grabs Alex’s hips instinctively.  

Alex leans over Tobin, her hair creating a curtain around their faces.  She quickly sweeps it all to one side and leans down, pushing their lips together again.  Their hands roam, hungry for what they have been missing.  Alex moves her lips down to Tobin’s neck, finding the spot right below her ear and sucking on it.  Tobin moans out and she grips a handful of Alex hair.  Her other hand rubs the back of Alex’s bare thigh.

Alex uses the hand that isn’t holding herself up to snake under Tobin’s shirt.  She feels the hard stomach underneath and pulls back.  She yanks up Tobin’s shirt, revealing the well defined stomach.  Tobin looks up at her through hooded eyes, trying to regain her breath. “What?”

“This is new,” Alex smirks, scratching her nails down the muscle.

Tobin smiles.  “I’ve been spending a lot of time at the gym.”

Alex nods and starts to lean back down.  “It working,” she says as she pushes their lips together once more.  

Alex’s hand starts to push Tobin’s shirt up even more when there is a knock on the window.  Alex sits up quickly, her head turning to glare at whoever interrupted them.  Sydney is looking in, her hands blocking out the glare as she smirks at Alex.  “Syd, what the fuck?”

Sydney drops her hands and reaches for the door handle, yanking it open.  Tobin quickly pulls her shirt down over her exposed chest and Alex’s hand that rests on her stomach.  Alex climbs out of the open door and starts arguing with Sydney while Tobin takes a few seconds to regain her composure.  She slowly sits up and turns so her feet are out of the car.  “Might want to turn the car off bud,” Dom sasses from his spot against the door next to her.  Tobin reaches for the keys and turns the car off.  Dom pokes at her neck where Alex had left a reddening mark.  “Nice.”  Tobin blushes as he smirks at her.  “So are you guys back together?”

“I think so.”

“You’re not sure but you’re hooking up in a crowded driveway?”

“Fuck off,” Tobin gripes as she hops out.  

Dom laughs and reaches for Sydney’s hand.  “Come on, babe.  I think they still have some stuff to work out.”

Sydney points at Alex.  “Do not get back in that car until you come talk to me.”

Alex rolls her eyes and turns to Tobin, who is leaning back against her door with a toothy grin. “So…”

Alex walks over to her, standing in between her legs.  “So?”

Tobin places her hands on Alex’s hips.  “We’re back together.”  Alex nods, leaning down into her lips.  When she pulls back Tobin asks, “Do you wanna get outta here?”

Alex laughs, “Yes, but if I don’t go talk to Syd she _will_ kill me.”

Tobin nods, knowing it’s true and takes her hands.  “Let’s go.”  Tobin presses a kiss to her lips, taking Alex’s lower lip between her teeth and pulling back.  Alex moves with her, chewing on her lip when Tobin releases it.  

They walk into the house hand in hand and Tobin looks around.  She leads Alex outside and they see Sydney, sitting with Dom, Jason, Kelley, Christen and a few others.   “I’m going to go get us some drinks.  Tequila still?”

Alex shakes her head.  “Water’s fine.”

Alex walks to her friends while Tobin heads inside.  She fills up two cups of water and then heads back outside where Alex is in a heated discussion with Kelley.

Kelley looks up and glares at Tobin as she gets closer.  “This was sudden,” she says, “and you already got her in your backseat.”

“Kelley,” Alex snaps as Tobin hands over the water.  Tobin sits down next to her and looks at Kelley, waiting for her to continue.

“You broke up with her and then you jump her as soon as she says she wants to get back together.  How do I know that you’re not just going to break up with her again before you leave. You just want a good fuck before going off and being the little freshman again.”

Alex is about to say something but Dom cuts in.  “Do you know her at all?  Did you not see how heart broken she was when they broke up.”  He glares at Kelley, leaning forward.  “I understand being hesitant but you were her friend too.  You should know that that’s not who she is at all.  She doesn’t deserve you bad mouthing her for something that she didn’t do and never would.”

Kelley leans looks to Alex before replying.  “I’m looking out for her.  I was friends with Tobin but then she dumped Alex for seemingly no reason so-”

Alex stops her.  “Kel, you know there was a reason.”

“Fine.  For a stupid reason,” Kelley corrects looking at Alex for confirmation.

When Alex doesn’t argue Tobin does.  “It might have been stupid to everyone else but when she said she didn’t know if she wanted to be with me anymore that hurt pretty fucking bad.”

“So then you should have talked about it,” Kelley explains harshly.

“We’d been together for over a year.  I think it’s pretty self explanatory where the relationship is headed if she said she no longer is sure she want to be with me,” Tobin argues.

“So what’s different,” Kelley retorts.  Tobin opens her mouth to respond but nothing comes out.  “Exactly.”

Tobin turns to Alex for an explanation.  Alex glares at Kelley before turning to Tobin with softening her features. She takes Tobin’s hand between her own and kisses her fingers. “I know now.”  Alex reaches one hand up to Tobin’s cheek, stroking it softly.  “I want to be with you even when it’s hard.  Not being able to talk to you these past few months has been really hard. It was torture. I don’t want to have to go through that again.”  Alex smiles at Tobin. “Tobs, I want us to be together even when we're apart.”

Alex tucks a loose piece of hair around Tobin’s ear waiting for a response.  Tobin nods and gives Alex a half smile.  “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”  She stands and Alex’s hands fall.  Tobin places her cup down and walks back inside.

Alex watches Tobin walk back into the house before turning back around.  “Thanks a lot, Kel,” Alex snaps, standing quickly and chasing after Tobin.

She finds the bathroom pretty quickly with the door wide open.  She turns around and looks around the loud dark house.  Alex runs her hand through her hair, looking around for any sign of Tobin.  She walks to the front of the house and out the door.  She sees Tobin sitting on the steps and sighs.  Alex places her hand on Tobin’s shoulder and sits down next to her.  “Where are you right now?”

“I don’t know,” Tobin mumbles, looking down at her hands.

“Tobs, I still love you.”

“And you still loved me when you weren’t sure you wanted to be with me.  How do I know that when I go to school we won’t get in a fight and you’ll be done with me again?”

“You don’t, I don't, but I promise you that that’s not my plan.  Tobin these have been some of the worst months of my life.  I’ve missed you.  This is going to sound really corny but I didn’t realize what I was missing until you left.”

“But like what changed your mind?” Tobin asks.  “What made you go from not knowing if you want to be with me to whereever you are now.”

Alex runs her hand through her hair, trying to figure out how to answer.  She lets out a slow breath, “As soon as we broke up I was hurt.  But it hurt the most when something would happen, big or small, and I just wanted to tell you.  Like not telling you that I was going to UNC has probably been the hardest thing. I almost texted you even though we weren't talking. The fact that we’re ending up at the same school is some sort of fate.  I want to share everything with you.”

Tobin nods, looking out at the front yard.  “ I have never questioned if I want to be with you and it’s hard for me to figure out what went wrong where you did.”

“Tobs,” Alex squeaks, her voice breaking, “I don’t want to lose you again.  I didn’t want to lose you the first time.”

“Are you sure you love me?” Tobin asks barely audible.

Alex looks at the side of Tobin’s face.  “Of course.”  She rubs Tobin’s leg, noticing the increased muscle mass.  She glances down for a second, then brings her hand up to Tobin’s cheek, making her face her.  “I love you.  I haven’t stopped.  I think that’s one of the reasons Kelley was being such a bitch.  She’s worried that I’ll get hurt again.  I think we both really hurt each other and she just doesn’t want that to happen again.”  Alex grabs Tobin’s hands in her lap, looking into her eyes.  “I love you, Tobin.”  She leans in, tilting her head slightly but not connecting their lips, leaving that for Tobin.

Tobin glances into Alex’s eyes, feeling their fingers intertwining.  “If you ever think you’re feeling like that again can you tell me because if there’s something I can do to fix it, I want to do it.  I want to try and fix it.”  Alex nods, smiling.  “Good, because I need you to talk to me.”  Tobin pulls a hand out of Alex’s grasp and brings it up to her cheek as she leans in.  Their kiss is tender as Alex uses her free hand to rub Tobin’s legs, moaning softly as she slips under the fabric.

Alex pulls back and looks at Tobin’s legs again, biting her lip.  “Is there any part of you not covered in muscle?”

Tobin laughs.  “I’ve bulked up a bit.”

Alex nods reaching her hand up to Tobin’s arm.  She squeezes Tobin’s bicep and smiles again. “Nope.  Just muscle.”

Tobin laughs again, “And I’m not even flexing.”

Alex grins and squeezes again.  “Do you want to flex for me?”

“Maybe later.  We should head back in.”

Alex sighs, “Fine.”

Tobin helps Alex up and leads her back through the growing party and outside.  Tobin remains standing while Alex sits down.  She looks up at Tobin confused who is looking at Kelley.  “Can we talk?”

Kelley looks at Alex for a second then up at Tobin.  She pushes herself to her feet.  “Fine.”  Alex watches them walk away, worried.

“What did you say to her?” Dom asks gruffly.  Sydney places her hand on his chest trying to calm him down.

“I told her I made a mistake and that I love her.”  

“Is that true?”  Alex nods.

“Dom, you remember how hurt she was.  You know that she loved her even after the break up.”

“Yeah and I also remember the weeks that she,” Dom points towards Tobin, “was crying constantly. I don't know if it ever really stopped. I think she just got better at hiding it.”

“Dom,” Alex says, trying to get his attention.  “I know I hurt her.  I can’t take that back even though I wish I could.  I wish we had never broken up.”  She looks over to Kelley and Tobin who seem to not be fighting.  “I didn’t really want to break up to begin with. I don't know what I was feeling.”  She looks back to Dom.

He chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment before nodding.  “Fine, but I’m watching you.”

Alex smiles.  “I wouldn’t expect anything else

Two hours later they climb into Tobin’s car and she starts the drive back to Alex’s house. “So what did you and Kelley talk about?”

“Uh, nothing really,” Tobin shrugs it off.

“A nearly thirty minute conversation about nothing?”

“She told me she was sorry for accusing me of some things that I didn’t do.  She asked me about stuff.  I asked her about stuff.”  Tobin shrugs.  “I don’t know.  As much as I don’t like being on the receiving end of it I’m glad you have someone like her looking out for you.”

“What did she accuse you of?”

“Uh, just random stuff.”

“Tobs, come on.  You can tell me.”

“She had said some stuff about me wanting to sleep with other people which had lead to me calling her bitch and staying stuff about her screwing around which lead to some other stuff. It almost lead to a fight. We both got a warning. We hadn’t really talked since then.”

Alex glances out the window, seeing they’re almost at her house.  “I don’t mind what the answer is either way but did you...hook up with anyone while we were broken up.”

Tobin shakes her head adamantly.  “No.  Even if I had had the chance I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with anyone else.”  Tobin glances over as she slows in front of a stop sign.  “You made me feel safe.”

Alex smiles and puts her hand on Tobin’s leg.  “I know what you mean.”

Tobin starts driving again, chewing on her lip.  “Did you?”

“No and nothing happened with Jesse. He's just a friend.  You’re my one and only babe.”  Tobin pulls into Alex’s driveway and parks.  Alex quickly unbuckles her seatbelt and leans over to give Tobin a long, smoldering kiss.  She pulls back after a minute, her hand gripping Tobin’s upper arm.  “Please, just once?” she begs.

Tobin rolls her eyes but flexes her arm.  

Alex bites her lip and squeezes Tobin’s muscle.  “Not my little toothpick anymore.”  Alex pulls herself close again and presses a kiss to Tobin’s cheek before getting out.

~~~

**Lex: What are you doing right now?**

**My Queen:  Eating dinner with the boys.  We just got outta practice**

**My Queen: I have a group presentation meeting in 45 so I have to eat quick**

**Lex: Do you think you have a little time for me?**

**My Queen: Always.  I’ll call you when I’m heading to my room to get my stuff**

**Lex: Or you could just turn around**

Tobin looks at her phone confused for a second then turns around slowly.  She drops her phone and is pushing her chair away in less than a second.  “What the fuck, Tob,” her teammate says as he wipes the spaghetti off of his arm.

Tobin barrels into Alex who squeaks and wraps her arms and legs around Tobin’s neck and waist.  “OW, OW,” Tobin hears from somewhere in the room.

“What are you doing here?” Tobin asks as she spins once.

Alex ignores her and pushes their lips together.  Tobin ignores the whistling, cat calls, and glass clanking as she kisses Alex back, squeezing her tightly.  They break apart after a minute and Tobin buries her forehead into the crook of her neck.  “I love you so much,” she mutters softly against her skin.

“I love you too, baby,” Alex strokes her hair as she looks over at all of Tobin’s teammates, most of whom are looking at them with smiles on their faces.  “Babe are you going to put me down?”  Tobin shakes her head, still hiding in Alex’s neck.  Alex laughs.  “I’m not going anywhere. I'm going to be here for a few more days.” Tobin groans but loosens her grip so Alex can slide to her feet.  

“How are you here?”

Alex points over her shoulder, “I’m doing my official visit.”

Tobin looks beyond Alex and sees the soccer team looking over at her.  She waves to them and a few of her closer friends give her a thumbs up in return.  “Wait but you were going to do it in like a month or something.”

Alex nods, “You had an away game that week and what was the point of me coming all the way here if you were going to be in Georgia.  This was the only other time I could come with the soccer schedule.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Alex smiles, kissing Tobin’s forehead.  “You never told me you and Anson were besties.”

Tobin shrugs, “I’m friends with a lot of your future teammates.  We had a few crossbar challenges late at night before classes started.”

Alex rolls her eyes, “Of course.”

Tobin presses her lips against Alex’s again then pulls back.  “I need to go finish eating and you need to go do some recruit thing I guess but I want to see you more and show you around and introduce you to all the people who think I made you up and photo shopped you.”

Alex laughs, “Who thinks you made me up?”

Tobin points behind her, “All of them for one.” Tobin grins.  “They thought you were too hot to be mine.”

Alex leans in and kisses her again, “I think it’s the other way around.”  Alex squeezes Tobin’s arm.  “Yeah, definitely the other way around.”

Tobin shakes her head but blushes slightly as Alex accidentally on purpose runs her hand over Tobin’s stomach. Tobin watches her girlfriend's eyes close slightly.

“I want to meet your friends but you need to eat.  Text me when you’re done with your school stuff and you can come over to hang with us or something.”

Tobin nods and kisses her again before walking back to her seat.  Alex watches as some of the guys slap her back or hold out fists for her before heading back to the table of soccer players.

~~~

Alex walks out of the bathroom with a towel over her head.  Allie, her host for the visit, holds out a white jersey.  “Tobin, dropped this off for you.”

Alex smiles as she takes it and smiles down at the blue 17.  “She said she needs it back but you can have it for the game.  Also,” Allie smirks, “I think you might want to pack up your stuff before we head over.”

Alex looks at her confused.  “My flight’s not till tomorrow afteroon.”

Allie nods, “Tobin might have asked me if it was cool if you stay with her instead and I’m guessing you would prefer that.”

Alex nods.

“Been awhile, hasn’t it?”

Alex blushes and hides her head in her hands.

Allie laughs and pats Alex’s back.  “Trust me.  That makes for really good sex, just use protection.”

“Get changed.  Tailgating is the best part of these things.”

Alex smiles and quickly pulls Tobin’s jersey over her shirt.

~~~

Tobin walks over to Allie, slapping her hand before grabbing Alex in a hug.  “You looked hot babe,” Alex whispers.

“And I’m out.  Come get your stuff whenever and we can go do dinner,” Allie says before walking away.

Alex runs her fingers through Tobin’s wet hair.  “It’s even better than the pictures,” Alex sighs.

“What pictures?”

Alex smirks, “The ones I stalk of you online.”

“Um,” Tobin looks at her confused, “what?”

“UNC takes pictures, sometimes they’re of you.  Actually there are a lot of you.  They’re showing you off.  But like I watch all your games, follow the team, the athletic department, your strength and conditioning coach.”  Alex smirks, “I’ve been good for at least one Tobin photo a week.”

“Wow, stalker,” Tobin jokes.

“Maybe if you took pictures of yourself I wouldn’t have to find look for them,” Alex quips.  “But actually Tank did say he would hook me up with pictures of you now and again.  He also asked if I minded if you were shirtless in them.”

“He didn’t,” Tobin pleads.

“Now you have another reason to be extra sweaty during practices.”

Tobin smirks, “Oh I can think of a few reason right now I want to be extra sweaty but not during practice.” She bends low and with the shoulder that isn’t supporting her gym bag she picks up Alex and starts walking.

“I like the view,” Alex calls.

“Yeah, I got a pretty good view up here too.”  After a few steps, Tobin puts Alex back down and takes her hand.  “Now come on. We have the room free to ourselves all night and I’ve really missed you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all you get. Wow that's been a ride.  
> What was y'alls fav part?

**Author's Note:**

> If you didn't understand anything, especially related to football let me know and I can try to explain it.


End file.
